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Review: 'Midwest Soul Xchange'
'New American Century'   

-  Album: 'New American Century'
-  Genre: 'Folk'

Our Rating:
If ever an act’s name belied the nature of the music Midwest Soul Xchange ranks highly. First, there’s the dubious spelling of ‘exchange’ that smacks of lamecore r’n’b. Then there are the connotations of ‘soul’, particularly in the context of contemporary mainstream music. Still, the duo, consisting of Ryan Summers and Nate Cherrier do hail from the Midwestern state of Wisconsin, and given that they’ve created the album over distance, swapping material back and forth, the name makes sense in that it describes the project’s premise – two artists from the Midwest exchanging the music in their souls. It’s about soul in the spiritual context rather than the musical genre.

‘New American Century’ is a collection of songs conjured from deep within and conveys a sincerity that matches the musical ambition on display here.

Ryan and Nate describe the MSX sound as ‘Americana infused with folk, prog rock and pop’, and sure enough, acoustic guitar and harmonica feature prominently in the instrumental accompaniment to some harmony-heavy songs that are very much concentrated on reflections on life and the rich tapestry of experience.

Third track, ‘Truth Attention’ broods and ponders over a nagging guitar line that aches with wistful melancholy, and is one of the album’s real standouts. Elsewhere, the percussion dominates on the proggy ‘Revolt of the Guards’, while ‘Occupy the Piper’ sits between pastoral folk performed with electric instrumentation and the sound of early REM. ‘Has Anyone Seen Bob’ showcases yet another side of Midwest Soul Xchange, being a breezy Kinks-like pop tune with a vintage feel.

It’s an album that draws on a broad range of styles and reflects the duo’s eclectic influences and musical interests, which span 50s, 60s and 70’s music from prog to first-wave Britpop. Most telling is the attention to the songwriting: there’s nothing throwaway here, no filler, but some strong harmonies in the dual vocals serve to accentuate and emphasise the focus on craftsmanship.

Midwest Soul Xchange Online

  author: Christopher Nosnibor

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Midwest Soul Xchange - New American Century