Ellis Ashbrook: Meridia Review

Meridia is the third full-length studio album from the band Ellis Ashbrook, known as a contemporary experimental rock group, started in Brooklyn New York. The band is made up of vocalist and lead guitarist John Barber, drummer Alex Major, bassist John Granoff, and keyboardist and vocalist Natalie Lowe. Barber and Major have been composing music together since the age of ten, however in high school they turned their duet into a fully formed band. Since high school they have gone on to gain much success, recently playing in venues like the Highline Ballroom in New York City.

Ellis Ashbrook is absolutely an experimental band to say the least. Each track on this album has a new direction, a new vibe, however this does not mean that the album goes in a hundred different directions. There is a definite consistency in each song on the album, and even if it’s not a consistency in sound, it’s a consistency in the vibe and mood and purpose of this album. Ellis Ashbrook tries many different styles, of course some working better than others, with some songs having just classic guitar riffs and piano melodies and others using half of an orchestra. Songs like “Climax” and “No Please Don’t Watch,” do an incredible job of mixing rock music with classical instruments used in less conventional and expected sound. Then there are other songs on Meridia that are successful with just the guitar chords and vocals, like “Cat Song,” however this song still has saxophone parts that push the song to the next level.

Ellis Ashbrook now have a very strong New York following and are known very well in the Brooklyn rock scene. And since their second album release they have gained even more fans in Boston and Providence as well. Meridia is a very fun, part rock, part folk, part experimental album that will leave you wanting to hear more of the ideas that Ellis Asbhrook has come up with in their last two albums.

The Review: 8.5/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

-Cat Song
-No Please, Don’t Watch
-Climax
-Decelerator
-We Laughin’

 The Big Hit

-Cat Song

Review by Victoria Espinoza