From the midwestern plains arrives the music of the relatively new Kanasan indie band Miles on End.
Their own one-sentence pitch is a damn good one at that:
“From the high plains of Kansas, Miles on End is a groove rock band which has carved an audible canyon through the thick sod with interwoven guitar melodies and funky rhythms.”
Nice, huh?
And the band backs up it up with an eclectic and jam-loving style on their debut self-titled album.
The album opener, “Hit The Heat,” is a chunky-funky lo-fi rock burner with shifting rhythms buoyed by a sweet little jam and guitarist Nathan Engel’s understated vocals.
Following is the slower and more instrumentally-driven track, “Electric Plantation,” which starts out with an interesting garage pop swagger and totally develops into a full-throttle highway rock blazer. The song then slows down again into a Jerry Garcia-like riff-out.
The band’s penchant for jamming to the rafters is not to be overlooked or even underappreciated. In fact, their live shows are famous for long late-night jam sessions.
Engel says the next track on the album, “Flatirons,” is one of Miles on End fans’ favorites at live shows. That’s believable thanks to its bluesy/jazzy intro that transitions smoothly into more alt. rock/garage elements that work nicely and make it one of the strong tracks on the album.
The song was named for the Flatiron Mountain range outside of Boulder, Colorado. The band members had a treacherous and unforgettable hiking experience there which led to the song’s title and lyrical content.
Opening with a funky groove and blaring guitars, together with sick percussions from drums and bass, “Dead Ends,” has a darker appeal than other tracks on the album. But also like so many tracks on the album, it transforms into a full-on jam and emerges from the darkness.
Next is the rambunctious, energy-driven indie-pop piece, “White Walls.” Engel said it is one of the tracks that fans love at shows. It is also, he says, a track that “seems to best encapsulate the band’s diverse groovy dance rock sound.”
“The song is catchy and features a fantastic trance-like instrumental break that really gets a crowd moving,” he says.
“The Skirmish of Trinidad” is an interesting instrumental; it opens with soft waves and seagulls and transforms into a chugging rock track that is something of a mini adventure features various transitions that one could say is part of the band’s signature sound. Engel said it is intended to “musically paint a picture of a pirate naval battle in the Caribbean Sea.”
The closing track, also an instrumental, is the funky, riff-driven, “Of Crickets and Constellations.” It is not the campfire song of your parents.
Engel said it came from a book that he cannot remember and symbolizes that which is “all-encompassing; everything in the world, from big to small, from crickets to constellations.”
Miles on End was formed in 2017 by brothers Nathan (vocals, guitar) and Ryan Engel (guitar). Soon after, the band brought on bassist Nick Schlyer, percussionist Keith Dryden, and trumpet master Layne Moe.
The band’s music inspirations are varied and include bands and artists like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Doors, Steppenwolf, The Allman Brothers Band, James Brown, Return to Forever, Herbie Hancock, Grover Washington JR, Miles Davis, Donald Byrd, and Grant Green.
It’s sweet to see an appreciation for great music among young bands since too many of them are trying to do something they think sells rather than do what they enjoy the most and make them stand out. These cats mix all them styles – rock, funk, jazz, blues, R&B – into one good time.
For a debut album by a DIY indie band, this is a solid start. It could have used a bit more polishing in sound quality/production department, but nevertheless, a respectable first outing from a band that has something different going on and who you can tell enjoy themselves.
The LP was recorded at Blue Moon Studios in Mulvane, Kansas and mixed and mastered at Heavy Eleven Studios in Hays, Kansas.