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 When
I heard the previous one or two entries by these coed Mammals,
I thought they were a pert, spirited lot in that alt-bluegrass/prog-bluegrass/newgrass
sphere – talented, but a tad PC in that Left-y preaching-to-the-converted
manner. When I slapped this, their latest, into the home sound-system,
I was expecting more of the same. Foolish critic, I – as all Mammals
must, this lot evolved into a collective somewhat akin to the Band,
Byrds, and Fairport Convention. Note I didn't say "sounds like"
because the Mammals are like those seminal bands. The 'mals are confident
enough with their bluegrass/string band/folk roots (one member is Pete
Seeger's grandkid, even) to seamlessly meld them with some deceptively
easygoing, melodic rock & roll much as the Byrds and Fairport did
before them. The politics are still there, but expressed in poignant,
emotional terms rather than didactic ones. Their vocal harmonies are
gauzy and sometimes plaintively comforting, (like the aforementioned
icons), their songs (while eclectic) are concise and thoughtfully constructed,
and their melodies subtly alluring.
If
I was that Village Voice stalwart, I'd grade Departure:
A.
Mark
Keresman
:: (Fall
06) 
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The Mammals