Calling the Bad Ends a "supergroup" could conceivably be a stretch as there's only one genuine rock star in the band. That would be Bill Berry, who gained fame as a drummer and songwriter for R.E.M., the biggest band to ever come out of Athens, Georgia. Five Eight, a group led by guitarist/vocalist Mike Mantione, followed in the footsteps of R.E.M., occasionally sharing bills with the band, yet there's no comparing the popularity of the two musicians: one is a cult figure, the other toured the world and elsewhere. Despite ...
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Calling the Bad Ends a "supergroup" could conceivably be a stretch as there's only one genuine rock star in the band. That would be Bill Berry, who gained fame as a drummer and songwriter for R.E.M., the biggest band to ever come out of Athens, Georgia. Five Eight, a group led by guitarist/vocalist Mike Mantione, followed in the footsteps of R.E.M., occasionally sharing bills with the band, yet there's no comparing the popularity of the two musicians: one is a cult figure, the other toured the world and elsewhere. Despite these varying levels of notoriety, Berry and Mantione occupy a similar status in Athens, where they're both fixtures in the city's rock scene. The Power and the Glory, the debut album from the duo's band the Bad Ends, not only serves as a celebration of all things garage and jangle, it effectively continues a story begun over 40 years ago, as it finds these veteran rockers wrestling with the consequences of aging. It's not accidental that the record's first single is "All Your Friends Are Dying." Mantione spends the record grappling with loss, change, and decay, finding the world changing as he remains still at the center. Sometimes, he addresses this quiet tumult in an earnest, quiet fashion. More often, he creates a righteous noise, not so much battling against the twilight as celebrating the moment. This is where Berry comes in. He's a subtle, sympathetic drummer on the ballads, but he still plays with a mighty thunder on the rockers, his rhythms enlivening songs that are unapologetically throwbacks to the glory days of college rock. The enthusiasm of the execution helps keep The Power and the Glory from sounding like an exercise in nostalgia, as do Mantione's earnest, unguarded songs: this is music that exists entirely in its own moment, not as part of the past. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
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Add this copy of The Power and the Glory to cart. $11.99, like new condition, Sold by Streetlight_Records rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Cruz, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2023 by New West Records.
Add this copy of The Power and the Glory to cart. $15.63, very good condition, Sold by Salzer's Records rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from ventura, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2023 by New West Records.
