The Dividends | The Shakesy EP

Family Average: 5/7

The Dividends are a number to be divided by another number. They are also a pretty cool band from the far away land of Huntington, West Virginia. The family all had high hopes that they could topple the current West Virginia anthem, or at least inject some new life into the tune. All jokes aside though this is one funky group. If that score is any indication of how the fam felt I would say they were feeling that funk.

Listen along on Their Bandcamp and read on to find out:

Trumpets, tambourines, those drums...and that horn section is no joke. This is a total groove and a cheerful respite from a lot of the dreary stuff I’ve been listening to lately. The Dividends come in like an absolute force, bouncing between that alt-rock sound and R&B. A little Alabama Shakes but more Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats -- music driven by a solid band section and a lot of foot-stomping energy, hell bent on a good time. The hooks are pretty catchy, the vocals smooth, and the melodies engaging enough to linger with you. It’s totally accessible and guaranteed to get at least one of the members of this blog moving. If I liked to dance, I probably would.

5/7

Boy Howdy these fellas make me happy that I invested in a decent pair of headphones. They do a spectacular job conjuring up a whole world of sound. The drums a thundering in the back of your mind, while the trumpets and vocals swirl all around the rest of your face. I guess these guys are a rock band? Maybe a little funk in there. They make a good point not to stick to one genre which is cool, I like that. You wanna hear something weird? I honestly did not think I would ever like a funk-esque rock album. I never really got into Rage Against The Machine. The whole scene always left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Somehow these guys won me over though. I think it was their trojan horse tactic coming in under the pretense of folky rock music. Congratulations fellas, keep on pumping it out.

5/7

This band with their tight horn section has their roots in the Chicago Blues with a twist of Cajun Bayou Louisiana. The fourth song “Window Sill” is a quality track which shows that these guys can also do a nice representation of country rock reminiscent of those LA Bands, that I love. They perform this tune with a modern spin, that is very refreshing. All of the tracks flow effortlessly, and the album works well as a single composition with  each song showcasing something different. The final track is very pleasant just like the dessert after a fine meal. I really like this entire album. Way to go minstrels, all of your practice, writing and hard work has paid “Dividends” to the listeners.

6/7

I don’t know why the album art made me think these peeps would be rappers—guess I’m so thick that whenever I see a hoodie anymore I say “oh so it’s rap”. It’s NOT rap people! It’s alternative! My favorite genre and decision to choose when I’m presented with ideas I don’t like.

We haven’t had too much of this genre up in the reviews and so The Dividends make for a welcome addition. What’s more is they seem to have a lil R&B going on in these tracks, an even more rare genre to see in these reviews. I like how they switch up the singers in each song. I like the energy of the album, pushing my head into happy sways between my pink headphones with every track. I like how the songs flow into each other with ease. Most of all, I like that horn section baby! They really do it for me.

My favorite songs on the album were probably “Shades of Blue” and “The Room” (always a sucker for a sad song finale).

5/7