Lead Mule
Yarmouth, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 2016 | SELF
Music
Press
Named after a legendary Yarmouth jam space, Lead Mule does its memory proud by delivering a powerful debut album. Termed nouveau grunge, their style evokes comparisons to Foo Fighters (on the anthemic "Third Degree") and, in the high-octane vocals, Mike Patton in his Faith No More days. The harmony-heavy "Spilt Milk" is another highlight on this more than promising introduction.
Kerry Doole
- New Canadian Music
Discography
Self titled ep, released Jan, 22, 2013
Photos
Bio
Amidst the winding rural roads of Short Beach, Nova Scotia, the echoes of rock ‘n’ roll bounce between the battered asphalt and the sea-soaked spruce trees. In an area steeped in musical tradition, Lead Mule, a four-piece outfit from these outskirts of Yarmouth, champions the legacy.
Their self-titled debut EP channels specific histories. Musically, the band is at the fore of an imminent nouveau grunge movement, putting a new spin on the melody-laden guitar rock of the early to mid 90s. The band’s vocal capabilities shine on songs such as “Spilt Milk,” weaving three-part harmonies together with a Faith No More era Mike Patton delivery. The pop-rock guitar riffs and anthemic sing-along chorus on “Third Degree” harken early Foo Fighters, while the dark ambience of “Absence” evokes a more introspective side of the band merged with an eerie violin line and a chord change that feels somehow distinctly Canadian.
Pronounced “led” (not “leed”) the name Lead Mule also pays homage to a specific physical location – a long burnt down jam space that hosted a series of outdoor concerts in Short Beach over a decade ago. Featuring performances by bands such as Burnt Black, kary, The Dean Malenkos, and Folds of Policy – acts that would eventually launch the likes of Holy Fuck, Wintersleep, Jon Epworth & The Improvements, and The Stanfields – the Mule concerts have garnered a near-legendary status amongst South Shore music fans.
It is with this deep-rooted sense of cultural and musical history that Lead Mule emerges, paying tribute to their past while carving out their future.
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