The Medium

While their third album is an ode to the wide streets and bright lights, Nashville outfit The Medium offer up their most country-hued record yet, weaving twang between ‘70s singer-songwriter cues and power pop charms. The latter finds the band pouncing on a particularly hometown brand of the genre, tying Twilley, Bell, Chilton, Redding and Rennie into the pomp and prowl of less local licks that conjure up Nilsson and Rhodes. The band’s last few albums felt a bit more married to the sounds of the ‘70s, and while they still give this record a gas-crisis gloss, there’s less neon flicker and AOR snap and more of a ’72/’73 dip into the country coffers.

With their balance of pop and prairie, The First National Band comes to mind — polished, but honest in their exploration. The band doesn’t drape the countenance of country across their cuts like a costume. As shiny as a few tracks feel here — the rubberized riot of “Golden Angels,” the marquee moves of the title track, and the Boston meets The Kinks boldness of “Name of the Game” — there are just as many that feel rubbed in the right kind of dirt. “Ghost In The Garden,” and “James Harvey” turn down the volume and sink into their strums while “The Day Dale Died” sends Ironhead off with a tear in the beer. The album is the band’s first under their own production, and while that can sometimes lead to loose ends, City Life winds up the band’s most concise and consistent album yet, a tender record tied to Nashville’s balance of studio sheen and off-strip honesty.

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