“The compositions on Casting Shadows, are entirely
sexual, sincere, and honest,” writes Justin Morey via email, and that’s
as good a place as any to begin.
Morey is the vocalist, bassist, and songwriter for the Black
Hollies, a four-piece rock band dwelling in assorted parts of New York
and New Jersey. The group has two albums to their credit: 2005’s
Crimson Reflections, a tightly honed collection of songs equally
garage based and Cream observant, and last year’s aforementioned
Casting Shadows, which broadens their sound into more expansive,
psychedelic territories. That “psychedelic” can be taken literally; in
fact, the album’s packaging incorporates a glossary of Hollies-oriented
drug references. (“Turn On: to alter awareness, with the Black
Hollies.”)
Morey cites “our love and appreciation of old ’60s soul 45s in
conjunction with love and respect for each other as artists,” as the
initial impetus for the group’s formation. He, along with guitarists
Herbert Wiley V and Jon Gonnelli, first interacted musically in the
noisier, less restrained Rye Coalition. Morey recalls following “my
instincts for pop arrangements and solid vocal harmonies. The
combination of that blueprint in conjunction with a solid rhythm
section, similar to mid-’60s era Motown, didn’t appear to hurt us at
all.”
It’s a difficult line to tread when a band hearkens back to a past
era’s music. Casting Shadows‘ packaging solidly approximates the
feel of a late-’60s LP, down to the presence and tone of the liner
notes, and scuff marks and creases incorporated behind lyrics and
photographs. The group as a whole sounds neatly self-assured on their
albums, and while their compositions don’t bear a trace of irony, there
is an undeniable sense of humor present. It’s a subtle difference, but
the band’s clear enjoyment of the music that they’re playing is clear
throughout. That said, it’s Morey’s lyrics, full of surreal and ominous
imagery, that stay in the mind the longest, as does his willingness to
abandon the more traditional frontman swagger for a more conciliatory
approach. Refreshingly, looking backward doesn’t always mean rote
emulation.