Rob Cowen And The Dissidents Q's Track Of The Day!

"Thankfully avoiding the worst clichés of modern folk, The Heartlands' title track is a fairly simple, but irrevocably effective, example of more being more. Centred around a three-chord verse, it kicks off with a vengeance, with Cowen's fleeting lyrics offering a rather unfavourable view of urban life. Pounding drums and none-more-folky harmonies are omnipresent, while a subtle army of instruments are incorporated one by one during quiet bits/loud bits before it all escalates into a pummelling coda of 'we all need somebody to believe in/down in the heartlands'. Epic folk? Wave folk? Or just folk rock? You decide.

Where they previously were hovering close to New Jersey and stadium rock, it seems RC&TD have now taken a step towards the heart of new American folk, edging closer to the likes of Band Of Horses and Ryan Adams. They might have to endure a few comparisons to Scotland's Kassidy - although without the requisite Fleetwood Mac tag - but The Heartlands is the sound of an emerging talent combining the best of two worlds."

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