Harlequin

Music is not always the easiest subject to classify, even though there are many genres to pick from. Having those many genres is part of the problem when it comes to picking out a style of music to label a band as playing when that band has dipped into a variety of those genres for their music. Such a band is the one out of Asheville, NC, Alarm Clock Conspiracy and their second album, "Harlequin". I would say that their music is largely a Southern rock style music as it contains a country style as the skeleton of their songs. While at the same time they have mixed in some rock and pop with a smidgen of folk. So what exactly is their label for the genre of music that they play? Hmm, well, I suppose that would be, country/rock/pop/folk, or maybe countryockopolk.
Ok, that word is a bit much and even though I just made it up I can't even quite figure out how to pronounce it but that changes nothing on it being true. This music is a blending of country/rock/pop/folk. Depending on the song that I listen to at the moment I will go from this band being a country rock pop to a folk pop rock song. That might sound about the same but it's not. They have the country twang at times with the guitar and the vocals being done in the almost spoken sing along style of country while also having the upbeat tempo of rock and catchy moments of pop. Then on other songs they will slow it down where the songs become folk but with more of a catchy rhythm being played in a pop manner.
This band has a few different sounds going for them and for that I liked what I was hearing. I could hear some class rock influences while at the same time having some more current bands being used in their music. What I liked and also what also hurts this album is how they have the tempos changing from one song to the next. Having the different tempos and sounds is good because I was getting different songs to listen to from track to track. On the flip side to that though, when they play a song that has the energy of a rock song, with the more speed and upbeat tempos, the vocals being strong and steady, I was feeling the energy but then the next song would slow down to a more mellow groove that is a foot tapper. Don't get me wrong, the songs are played well, they are song good with smooth melodies and some decent harmonies, but to go from the upbeat energy song to the more laid back lazy song is almost like hitting a brick wall.