Review: The Stanfields

By | May 20, 2010

On first blush, it’s tempting to compare The Stanfields to bands like The Pogues and The Dropkick Murphys. Indeed, their new album, Vanguard of the Young & Reckless (in stores June 15) offers the same unmistakeable fusion of Celtic and rock influences that became those bands’ hallmarks. Yet The Stanfields have a sound that’s hard-driving, raw and unique—unmistakably Nova Scotian in its sense of place, no pale imitation of those acts.

The album’s cornerstone, and the band’s biggest hit thus far, is “Ship to Shore.” A rollicking yet intelligent track, more rock than Celtic, it should serve as an object lesson for other Canadian songwriters: it’s possible to write a song about the war in Afghanistan that’s not cheesy, saccharine or emotionally manipulative. (I’m looking at you, Matt Minglewood and The Trews.)

That’s their best known song, but there are many equally good ones on the album. “Dagger Woods” is a souped-up folk song, creepy monster lore at 140 decibels and 90 miles an hour. “Federal Hall” is destined to be an in-concert favourite, with its infectious (and profane) chorus of “They’re fuckin’ with our money, son!” Think of it as an angrier, anti-establishment “Cat’s in the Cradle”—a father’s disappointment with a son who joins the corrupt system his old man railed against.

Ever since I first heard “Ship to Shore,” I suspected The Stanfields were bound for stardom. It’s a track that’s just too big for this city. National acclaim is inevitable. This album is complete, well-rounded and sophisticated—surprisingly mature song-writing coupled with solid rock chops. These guys are going to be big.

And if you haven’t seen them in concert before, here’s a video (via YouTube) of them performing “Ship to Shore” at The Seahorse on St. Patrick’s Day 2009. The performance gives you a pretty clear idea what they’re about.

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