Loudest Review : Blackstratblues – ‘The Last Analog Generation’

Press Play And Listen to This Album As You Read!

Guess What! Blackstratblues are BACK! They just released their new full-length record titled ‘The Last Analog Generation’ today on Apple Music and Bandcamp. This was one record that was MUCH awaited this year, and now that it’s finally available for listening, here’s what I think:

Warren Mendoza not only takes the whole writing credit, he also mixed the record. Recorded live at Cotton Press Studios (remember you could do that?), this has to be the biggest win for the record – it sounds wonderful! The production gives space to each instrument while maintaining an incredible amount of dynamics. The guitar tone is rich, warm and creamy. Considering the guitar acts as the lead melody/voice through most of the record, the production qualities give it a very human-like feeling, which would probably make this record more relatable to someone who isn’t used to instrumental music, in my opinion. The record also has Tejas Menon singing on the song ‘Love Song To The Truth’. Considering it is the only track on the record with vocals, Tejas does an absolutely wonderful job on the vocal delivery and lyrics. His voice is something you can’t miss. This definitely makes the record a bit more diverse than just an Instrumental Rock record.

To finish off, the whole album flows perfectly once you listen to it all in one go. As mentioned before, at no point do the songs dip in impact or quality of content. You could easily compare the record to some seminal Instrumental Rock records such as ‘Flying A Blue Dream’ by Joe Satriani. I think beyond that, the versatility and tastes of the musicians involved take the record to another place. There are moments of blues, hard rock and even some interesting progressive sensibilities that work really solidly with each other. The songs show that the members involved know what they’re exactly doing and how much precision has been put in. It will be an experience of its own to see this live! Luckily for everyone, Blackstratblues is going out on a 4 date tour soon to promote the album. So grab hold of the record, give it a listen – and go watch the gentleman in Blackstratblues at a venue near you! Here are the dates: