When I first read the title of the first Greta Van Fleet album I thought I could see the writing on the wall for Rock’s latest saviours – ‘the sound of Led Zeppelin with an album title savilly aimed at those who think that The White Stripes are the most innovative band of the millennium’ it’s a greta (see what we did there) position to be in of course for the band quirkily named after an elderly lady from their hometown – a certain Greta Van Fleet …
The good news for rockers of course is that these guys are the real deal, the bad news is that hype always distorts things. Once the mainstream gets a hint of potential crossover success all the rules go out of the window starting with the slew of magazines who wouldn’t normally touch Rock music with a barge pole suddenly wanting their say. One thing that doesn’t change though is the simmering resentment the mainstream press has always harboured for Rock in general and if you call bullshit on that comment just look at historical reviews of Classic Rock bands from Zeppelin themselves to Queen, this months’ mainstream fascination – yes they were lambasted back in the day too.
Just to cite one example Pitchfork’s Jeremy D. Larson (Not to be confused with plain old Jeremy Larson) said of this album: “The debut from the young Michigan rock band is stiff, hackneyed, overly precious retro-fetishism“. I’m not singling Jeremy out here I’m sure he’s a lovely guy but as he starts the backlash he has some perfectly generous and gushing things to say about the likes of: Björk, Big Red Machine, Eminem, and The Mountain Goats all bands I’m reasonably sure aren’t going to make many Rock fan’s Top Ten lists this year (Here I’m meant to say not that there’s anything wrong with those releases but as I’ve listed to them all I can’t actually bring myself to say that,none will be remembered as adding anything to music history).
Seriously people, who cares what the mainstream thinks? I know these days it’s all about being one trend and curbing your real opinions to fit in with a current world view that will be laughed at in decades to come but are Rock fans like that? Have we ever been? I’m sure I’m not alone to judge my music on merit rather than how cool it makes me look? To put it int perspective – would you take a recommendation on whether a Rock album is any good from your grandmother or the kid in the local burger joint with his strides round his ankles, his underwear on display and his cap on backwards?
Will Hermes of Rolling Stone also accuses Greta Van Fleet of that thing you’d never heard of until today – ‘retro-fetishism’ it seems is rife in the lives and vocabularies of mainstream writers: “There’s an element of the ridiculous in this. But there’s also a charm to their guileless, retro-fetishist conviction…”
Or as Matt Miller at Esquire adds, with perhaps the most unreserved venom of all, writing off Rock music completely by not only having a dig at the band but seemingly at anyone past a certain age who might enjoy a little Zeppelin. There does seem some hope though that one day we’ll grow out of it: “Yes, Greta Van Fleet’s music is bad and their entire aesthetic feels disingenuous because of the major label support, but it is harmless. They’re kids—19 to 22 years old—who just still haven’t grown out of that phase of idolizing Led Zeppelin“. Mate I know 70 years old who love Zeppelin, true they my be wavering a little in their support as they grow up, but I think The Reaper will probably take them before they give up grooving on ‘Stairway’…
Remember that Esquire after all is the credible voice of Rock – describing itself as “your destination for the latest news headlines, political developments, celebrity interviews, mens fashion advice, and food & drink recipes.” Again would you ask a magazine who describes themselves as such refer you to a Rock album?
Seriously how cool is it to have a voice in such magazines and get the opportunity to remind all Rock fans what idiots they are? (Yes I am deliberately re-using the word seriously at the start of sentences).
(Seriously) I could of course go on but why bother…
What really bothers me about the rise of Greta Van Fleet is that Record Label interest. Labels after all always hated rock music, they always tore it down as soon as the latest fashion drifted in and threatened to sell more ‘units.’ Lava Records (owned by UMG) is home to the likes of Jessie J and Lorde. Though in Jason Flom who runs the label, you do have a guy with an A&R background who, whilst at Atlantic signed the likes of Twisted Sister, Skid Row and White Lion and launched the careers of Stone Temple Pilots and Collective Soul, some fine bands indeed.
It’s not that a label has pushed a Rock forward as such, it’s the fact that it highlights the mess that music is in these days with a sea of music and no one credible enough to guide us Rockers in the right direction. When was the last time any money was put into promoting Rock, other than the already established behemoths?
So here we stand at a time when technology has created a situation in which it’s easy to steal what we used to value and steal it in great volume, but rather than solve the problem labels have decided to grab what they can and charge a small fee to legitimise the theft – it’s called streaming and it pays the smaller artist next to nothing for their endeavor and their art. And with radio now exclusively pimping Rap, RNB and what passes for Pop music these days and TV doing nothing meaningful at all, we’re asked to dip into that sea of ‘streaming’ – the ultimate embodiment of capitalism with it’s boot on the throat of the artist. It’s enough to make anyone who knew that things could have been different, had the accountants not taken over the world, weep.
The interesting thing about ‘Anthem of the Peaceful Army’ of course is that this isn’t the album to save Rock and Roll, this is a credible Classic Rock album made by some very talented kids still learning their craft. It’s a collection of songs that were relatively quickly put together, and that in itself at times shows. I’m sure anyone who has listened to the band previously will tell you it’s not quite as fresh or innovative or exciting as their ‘Black Smoke Rising’ EP or the ‘From the Fires’ EP which took those initial 4 tracks and added four more.
You have to remember that some of those songs on those two 2017 EPs had been around for a while and the band actually formed in 2012. These new songs show a band put under pressure to deliver by and large delivering and that is of course the good news for Rock fans. Greta Van Fleet have a great album in them, of that I’m sure and this is a great way to start. Forget all about the mainstream media hype and the largely anticipated shooting down (yawn) forget about those ‘Genre specific’ websites who grudgingly acknowledge that this is OK but really not quite their scene. This is an album for all those who love their Rock music but are a little tired of those Pop-Rock bands or Modern Rock in general. This is an album that takes a few steps back and says that innovation is rarely of and in itself the best step forward.
Saying that there’s no ‘Highway Song’ or ‘Safari Song’ here – two of the best and most memorable songs we’ve heard from these 4 young guys from Frankenmuth, Michigan (home of the world’s biggest Christmas stores) so far. What there is though is enough material to make you realise that whilst it might dominate their listening Led Zeppelin is clearly not the only band they listen to.
Hearing tracks like opener ‘Age of Man’ of course does make you immediately think of Zeppelin, but it’s via a circuitous route of vintage Heart and Rush (and maybe bands like Fastway and Clutch at times). Indeed despite references to “Lands of ice and snow” (maybe that was too much too soon?) it’s a voice that owes as much to Geddy Lee as it does to the honorable Mr. Plant of West Bromwich. It’s also an interestingly low-key and mid-tempo way to open their debut like they’ve taken the ‘Zep’ template, pushed aside the intricacies and substance and just decided to showcase the vocal.
‘The Cold Wind’ that blows next starts with some Plant-like vocal inflections and a suitably jaunty Zeppelin-like riff. It’s the changes and vocals that make it such a convincing counterfeit and played to a room of a thousand Zeppelin fans it’s hard to believe that any would not see the connection. The problem and dilemma that most have, especially older Zeppelin fans, is that this is still undeniably good music despite its derivative nature.
‘When the Curtain Falls’ that follows is another pleasing counterfeit rocker and though it might fail to really do more than capture an essence first time round, it grows in stature with repeated listens. ‘Watching Over’ though is gentler, less clumsy and a rather nice blues-based amble through the Black Country. Almost half way in ‘Lover, Leaver’ is a rockier riff rider, but it’s the one track here that maybe tries too hard and falls just over the line of gushing parody.
The ‘second side’ (were we rich enough to be listening to vinyl, the format that bounced back at twice the price we used to pay even counting for inflation) begins with the lilting almost Southern Rock vibe of ‘You’re the One’, it’s a simple song with nice guitars and low-down swelling keys. ‘The New Day’ starts similarly simply and it’s in these free and easy compositions that I think Greta Van Fleet excel, though there is still that irresistible pull especially in the drum fills and guitar histrionics to injects a ‘bit more Zeppelin’ when you feel both could have done without those flourishes.
Deeper in still ‘Mountain of the Sun’ comes across like vintage Zep meets first album Blind Melon and Spin Doctors and actually is another stand-out here; and you know what? ‘Brave New World’ fuhrer increases Greta’s currency with a drifting early Rush-infused aside that hints at more substance to come. Sadly faux-closer ‘Anthem’ is a little trite – the hippie, “let’s all be nice to each other song” might set a time and a place but the problem Greta will always have is that constant comparison with Zeppelin, and this just isn’t in the same league as a ‘Thank You’ and lyrically a little to light on. And whilst that may seem critical it’s not, setting yourself as the ‘new’ anything is always a losing hand as whilst you might create ore than passable ‘echoes’ of the past you can never better those memories that are shot through with emotion and longing.
‘Lover, Leaver (Taker, Believer)’ that really closes the album is a second elongated take on the most stereotypical ‘Leppelin-esque’ song here and probably wasn’t really needed, buy hey if you loved the first take, then more of the same can’t be a bad thing right?
So where do we stand? Well The Rockpit has seen Greta Van Fleet live a few times already over the last few years and can’t deny that they are a great live band, we also loved their first two EP’s. But if we’re completely honest this first long-player isn’t quite as good as that first burst, and if anything tries just a little too hard to confirm what the rock press has already been saying: that these guys are the statutory successors to one of the very biggest and best Rock bands to ever stride the Earth. It’s a very long bow to draw, and this isn’t Led Zeppelin II, but you have to remember these are very young guys, and in this album’s mix of hero-worship, reverence, youthful enthusiasm and hype there is far more than just a collection of songs that sound like Zeppelin. This isn’t the definitive article by a long way but it quite rightly reeks of the confidence and cockiness of youth, bolstered by strong support from both the label and fans alike. Greta Van Fleet will be a force to be reckoned with if they continue to follow this trajectory and this is a great first album for a band that is seemingly poised to conquer the Rock world, and you know what? They just might do it one day, and ‘Anthem’ I guess is just that first step in the conversion process.
