By: Dr. Matt Warnock
There was a time, not so long ago, where fans could expect their favorite rock bands to release an “unplugged” album, and possibly an accompanying DVD at least once during their careers. Artists such as Nirvana, Stevie Ray Vaughn, KISS and Eric Clapton helped bring this phenomenon to the forefront of the rock idiom during the early and mid-90s by releasing unplugged records that topped the charts. Exposing their music to a whole new audience at the same time.
While all-acoustic shows fell out of favor with the turn of the century, there are still a few bands willing to unplug their guitars, rearrange their most recognized songs and deliver an electrifying unplugged performance. One of the bands that has recently taken the dive into the realm of the unplugged is Fort Lauderdale based Nonpoint, with their 2009 release Cut the Cord.
The five-song E.P. is the first Nonpoint album to feature guitarist Zach Broderick, as well as being the bands first foray into the unplugged genre. Fans of the band will no-doubt recognize these five songs from their previous “plugged” releases, though these are no mere acoustic copies of the original tracks. As Broderick states, “I never liked it when bands just unplugged their electrics, picked up acoustics, and played the same arrangements as the original version.” Keeping to this philosophy, Broderick has done an admiral job of reworking the guitar parts, and overall arrangements, for each track on the E.P.
The album opens with a hauntingly ethereal version of “What a Day,” with Broderick’s guitar sounding a riff that is somehow spacious, yet filled with such a heavy groove that one can’t help but bang their head along with the record. Vocalist Elias Soriano makes a seamless transition from the electric sound to the acoustic as he weaves in and out of the lyrical lines with a subtle confidence that grips the listener by the ears and pulls them into the song’s storyline. Aside from the dark harmonic grooves of the albums opener, Broderick showcases his classical chops on “Circles” and “Your Signs,” with the former featuring engaging arpeggiated chordal lines by the classically trained guitarist.
One of the highlights of the album is the track “Rabia.” The song features a strong Latin influence, in both the lyrics and the groove used in both the drums and guitar. Switching between a Cuban-based dance riff and a heavy-rock type feel, the song is not only fun to listen to, but it could easily get a room full of people out of their chairs, dancing along to the funky bass-lines and guitar riffs. “Rabia” also showcases several bands members soloing chops, including drummer Robb Riveria’s short, yet tasty solo, and Broderick’s bluesy, rhythmic based guitar break.
Cut the Cord is a solid release by these four rockers from Florida. Digging deep into their wells of creativity, the band gives their fans, and Nonpoint newcomers, five freshly arranged songs that go well beyond the original versions. With such a strong unplugged release, Nonpoint is whetting the appetites of fans of the genre who’ve been waiting almost a decade for a rock band to release an all-acoustic record, while at the same time providing their fans a view into a new side of the bands creative nature.
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Links
Interview with Nonpoint Guitarist Zach Broderick
