REVIEW: ALO - Sounds Like This

If this album had been release way back when Phish announced their hiatus, it would have surely propelled ALO into the spot as the dominant jam band of the moment. That being said, this new album takes a bit from their previous three and steps it way up. Their Jack Johnson-meets-Phish sound permeates the entire album, which sounds more like a jam session than a carefully crafted collection of new songs. Only two of the ten songs on the album clock it under five minutes, proving that ALO are a jam band at the core. But they still have pop sensibilities as is proven in the lyrical content. What makes the album great is that you can actually hear the four members of the band having fun through their music. They set out to make a record that just showed off how they do music and the result is an album that is as equally impressive as their live shows. The first single "Speed Of Dreams" (which was edited shorter for radio) is the only track on the album that sounds like it could have fit on any of their previous three. The opener, "Dead Still Dance," is one of those songs that showcases off the element of their live jamming and will sound just as good on stage as it does on the album. Other standouts on the album are the seemingly short "Storms And Hurricanes" and the edgy "Blew Out The Walls." From start to finish is sounds as though ALO is performing a live show and by the time it's over you'll be screaming for an encore. There songs are going to be just as fun on stage as they are on the album, and it's going to be hard to tell who's having more fun at the shows they are performed at: the band or the fans.