This article was originally published on beingtheremag.com, an independent music and film magazine that ran from 2004 to 2007. It is presented here as part of the Being There Magazine archive.
By Adam Anklewicz | Being There Magazine, October 2005
Artist: ELLIOTT BROOD | Label: Six Shooter Records
Don’t get confused, Elliott Brood is not country, Elliott Brood is not rock, and Elliott Brood is not one person. The banjo is the primary instrument on this album, but don’t let that scare you, because this album crosses genres enough to appeal to rock fans, country fans, and indie-rock fans alike. Mark Sasso (banjo and guitar) fronts the band, writing and singing the twelve songs that make up Ambassador. He’s joined by Steve Pitkin on drums and suitcases and Casey Laforet on everything else. Ambassador drives a pounding beat of high-energy music that is tough to classify. Perhaps it’s the above-mentioned genres; perhaps it’s even rockabilly or pop. Regardless, its energy is relentless and infectious.
Since the record starts with the quiet and slow “Twill”, the listener will not get an immediate sense of who Elliott Brood are. Once the second track, “President (35),” gets underway, the banjo joins the guitar. The light tapping of the cymbals start this song with a plucking banjo as it slowly builds up the album. This is followed by “Second Son” with its rather obvious lyrics, “It’s apparent that his parents never loved him at all.” The album gets into full swing with this song, and the rest of Ambassador continues with sudden drops in tempo before building up again.
Ambassador could be divided up into two EPs, heavy and light. Both would contain good songs, but there is an obvious prevalence of the heavier half. Helping to bridge the gap between the obvious differences in the songs is a similar feel created by the production for an old time sound, making them seem to be a find from the vaults. The even production allows the record to go from fast to slow smoothly without it sounding forced. The packaging only helps to recreate this era; the front cover simply features a wood grain pattern with the title carved in. Inside you’ll find a train ticket from 1929 and a worksheet that will give you all the details on this record’s production. Elliott Brood have my nomination for best CD packaging.
Though none of the songs on Ambassador will profoundly change your life, this record will have a valued place on your record shelf as you pull this record out for parties or just a night alone celebrating that life doesn’t suck too much. Though their sound stays the same throughout the entire record, Ambassador is not limited in genre; they have influences pulling from enough different sources that the music is always interesting. Ambassador is a solid 46 minutes of entertainment, not too much, but enough to keep you wanting more. It’s easy to see on this, their first major effort, where they excel and where they fail. But even more importantly, it’s easy to see on this record how great their live shows are.