Well this is my first experience with Northern Liberties and they did a damn good job of turning me upside down. This is a really cool record, that’s very hard to nail down into any particular genre or sound. It’s unique and not just for the sake of being different, its really good too. This honestly reminds me a bit of the Butthole Surfers (Independent Worm Saloon era), with its sometimes almost alt-punk/rock sounding tendencies but then the sound will shift into fluid bass groove and heavy percussion that is similar to Tool. You’d think they’d stop there, wrong! They change it up again and deliver some rock-influenced numbers that swagger along like Kyuss or Black Sabbath (“Dog Skies” can challenge any traditional stoner rock band in the groove department alone). I mean, no two songs sound the same here and Northern Liberties are damn good at balancing the different sounds, so I give them huge props in the variety department. A lot of bands would sound unfocused branching out so much, but not these guys. The vocals are pretty cool, with a raw feel to them and they range from spoken parts to intense shouts and they fit the mood and music really well. Nice packaging and production, round out the disc. I don’t know much about these guys, but I know that this album impressed the hell out of me. I’ll be reviewing some vinyl by these guys very soon, so in the meantime give this disc a listen, ’cause you won’t be disappointed! I think everyone from fans of post punk, grunge, classic rock and stoner rock will be able to enjoy this one!
— JS