I don’t know how Spotify algorithms work, but I do know that after “Starcatcher” finished playing, it decided to skip to The Cold Stares and then the rather more cult Quaker City Nights.
Musically, GVF is somewhere in between the two, I suppose, but let’s be honest, they’re on a different level in terms of scope.
Their last album went into the charts at number one, they’ve won Grammys, and they play arenas for fun. They are one of the biggest rock bands on the planet (forever getting called the new Led Zeppelin or something, but to me sounding like Rush, but that’s a personal thing).
What is utterly certain about album number three is its utter certainty in itself, its confidence.
It’s right there from the opener, “Fate Of The Fateful”. My notes simply said it was “big, expansive, soaring voice, sounds like Wolfmother, perhaps.”
Then about 1.20m it happens. It explodes.
But as bombastic as this is, there’s a melody. The summery acoustic sounds of “Waited All Your Life” and the voice of Josh Kiszka combine superbly with the keys of Sam Kiszka.
The journey is uniquely American. “The Falling Sky” has an opening riff that could only be the harmonica. It sounds like it’s from the West Coast, not Michigan.
“Sacred The Thread” finds the mid-pace vibe. Laid back.
“Runway Blues” breaks the shackles and lets its hair down. The solo is utterly joyous, and it’s over in less than a minute and a half.
That’s the interlude, the exception that proves the rule, if you will, the others like “The Indigo Streak” – with its wonderful melody – are different, more measured, but timeless too. There would be nothing, anywhere, to date the like “Frozen Light” as being from 2023. Yet, if it’s classic rock, then it’s not dated. It’s just steeped in its shared history, not just the brothers’, but everyone who dreams of these sounds.
At their heart, essentially, these are blues-infused tracks. That’s maybe more prevalent on “The Archer”, but there’s one other thread that binds these together: stadium readiness.
That’s even true on “Meeting The Master” which, although acoustic, has just an inbuilt epic quality. Some bands can’t do stripped-down, even if they wanted to, and this is one.
And it feels like a journey. If it is, it’s one that ends with “Farewell For Now”. Yet, this is merely a farewell to their old selves, isn’t it? A welcome to the big leagues?
That’s what “Starcatcher” is. It’s ambitious, it’s expansive, it’s one for dreamers, and as the last solo hits, you’d best believe that Greta Van Fleet are unstoppable.
Actually, it doesn’t matter because they believe it, and that sound is right through this.
Rating: 8/10
REVIEW: GRETA VAN FLEET- STARCATCHER (2023)
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