King Ropes – “Green Wolverine” (2018) review
King Ropes – Green Wolverine (Self-released, 2018) review
Dave Hollier left his hometown of Bozeman, Montana to move to Brooklyn, NY. His life was just starting. It was the 1980s—New York was sweaty, loud, and ferociously teeming with big dreams. It was here that the Hollier began taking influence from greats like The Pixies, Tom Petty, Kraftwerk, and Tom Waits.
Decades later and Hollier has formed King Ropes, an outfit that he fronts. A long list of musicians support the act on stage and in the studio, including those who’ve played alongside Willie Nelson, The Goo Goo Dolls, The Growlers, and other big shots. Last year, the group released Dirt, a ten track LP featuring a mix of garage rock and surf punk. The new album sent the group up and down the west coast, amassing a humble following. Earlier this year, King Ropes put out Green Wolverine, an EP that’s sewn together moments and ideas from disparate corners of Hollier’s life.
The newest addition to their discography straddles half a dozen genres, sporting vocals that couldn’t be closer to Neil Young mimicry—in a good way. Spanning just four songs, the group manages grungy vocal harmonies, Velvet Undergound-esque riffs, spaciously dissonant slide guitar, and slurring percussion. The release is a refreshing departure from your typical folk rock. And in doing so, Hollier proves himself an expertly engaging songwriter capable of hitting an atmospheric sweet-spot.
-Gabe Kahan
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