Music Review | Mellowdrone: Go Get Em Tiger
Written by: Kage Alan

Album Rating: B+

Vocalist/guitarist/writer Jonathan Bates holds one thing very near dear to him that I feel we have in common; if you want to do something right, sometimes you have to do it yourself.  It’s as true in the music industry as it is in publishing and one has to be fiercely determined as apparently he is.  Not having previously heard anything from Mellowdrone before, I initially thought this was going to be a band in the early vein of Depeche Mode or Camouflage.  Not so, but equally as unique and fresh for its time.

A native of Miami, Florida, Bates cut his teeth on two EPs before recording 6 tracks for “A Demonstration of Intellectual Property,” then adding new members Tony De Matteo (guitars), Scott Ellis (drums) and Greg Griffith (bass) to flesh out his sound for the release of “Go Get ‘em Tiger.” So, what does the name “Mellowdrone” have to do with the music itself?  It’s moody.  The style has a hypnotic quality to it in that the listener immerses themselves in…and it’s layered.  From the out-in-front guitar work of “Pretty Boy” to the combination of guitar and bass in “Bonemarrow” to the many tempos and then the vocals themselves, there is a purpose and reason to the rhyme.  Furthermore, it works.

One positive quality about this kind of music is that it opens the mind up and creates images and a mood.  I couldn’t help but think that “Worst Song Ever” would have been perfect a decade ago for the soundtrack of “The Crow.” While it’s definitely a favorite track on the EP, it’s followed up by an equally powerful song titled “Motivation.” As for “I’m Too Young,” it’s haunting, but in a good way.  Now, from what I’ve read about Bates, he infuses some humor into his lyrics, only I don’t find myself trying to dissect what he’s saying so much as just let the entire sound roll over me like a wave.  Okay, that’s about as Pink Floyd as I get. 

If there’s any flaw in “Go Get ‘Em Tiger,” it’s that it just isn’t long enough.  At 21 minutes, I was left wanting more, but then this is an EP, which means Mellowdrone accomplished exactly what they set out to do.  If this album doesn’t generate enough interest for a full blown LP, nothing will.  There’s great potential here to reach a much larger audience if listeners were willing to get off their collective asses, stop listening to the likes of Brittany Spears and all that other manufactured crap and embrace some real musicianship.

For information about the group and to see where they’ll be playing on their current US tour, check out www.mellowdrone.com.  This is a band worth keeping your eyes on.