(photo: Joe Fuda)

I often wonder if I come across as favouring artists that undergo a musical reinvention, changing their sound or style, pushing the boundaries out beyond their comfort zones.  Sure those kinds of records are exciting and attention grabbers, but do they have the staying power to last longer than a breath mint?  The Boo Radleys’ Giant Steps was one of those “wow!” records, but where are they now?

There’s something to be said of the tried and true; the stalwarts, the steady-as-they-go hard working bands that build to reinventions and re-imaginings by playing, practicing, and progressing as opposed to being reworked by image consultants and marketing firms.  the band’s who play with heart as opposed to making decisions with their heads.  Cuff The Duke are just such a band, and Way Down Here is just such an album.  As EyeWeekly.com recently noted, they clearly take their country “alt.” and haven’t strayed far from the formula over their four albums, but slowly and surely, you can begin to trace the arc of development in their songwriting and sound that hints at their best is yet to come.  Produced by Blue Rodeo’s Greg Keelor, Way Down Here adds an edge to the band’s sound that suits them fine.  “Promises” gets into classic rock territory without getting too over the top, while “Another Day In Purgatory” has a fuzzy, bluesy vibe that hints at Zeppelin influences mixed with shoegaze-like droning.  The mix is heady stuff, intoxicating even.

On the surface it may not feel like much has changed at Camp Cuff, but delving further into Way Down Here reveals that the wheels are turning and the times are a-changing.  It gets better and better with every listen.

MP3: Cuff The Duke “Another Day in Purgatory”
Myspace: Cuff The Duke
Facebook: Cuff The Duke
Twitter: Cuff The Duke