The Amboys - Led Into The Woods Review

'Led Into The Woods' is a rowdy fun trip, but I hope The Amboys take me deeper into the woods the next time we hang out.

The Amboys - Led Into The Woods (2011) - 7.2 / 10.0
Self-released

The Amboys are a folk-rock group out of Asbury Park, New Jersey. Much like another, "Up-North" folk rock group, O'Death, The Amboys' music sounds influenced by southern rock bands. Much of Led Into The Woods is a rowdy mix of bar songs that could be heard coming from behind a cage as patrons chunk beer bottles. Then there are songs like "Ashley Meets The Wolf" and "In The Woods" that go deeper and suggest that The Amboys are worthy of merit other than "just another bar band".

Led Into The Woods does spend a lot of time in the bar however. "One of Those Nights" and "Last Song of the Night" are familiar stories of the bar scene. A friend of a friend makes the perfect bar hookup in "One of Those Nights" even if the following day's diner breakfast and conversation is awkward. "Last Song of the Night" may as well have been about a former girlfriend of mine, who couldn't hold her liquor very well. The storytelling of Led Into The Woods isn't glued to the same setting. "Trees" imagines life as a tree and invites the companionship of hippies while "Worrisome" explores how lust can overpower a person's thoughts.

The Amboys match the bawdiness of their songs with the swagger of guitar and drum based southern rock. However, the group isn't limited to this sound, and in fact, they're more interesting when they're exploring their folk side. The Amboys' folk roots are best displayed on opening track "Ashley Meets The Wolf" with its intense banjo plucking and gothic theme. Since this track opens the album, I didn't expect the album's shift in storytelling or southern rock sound. The final track "In The Woods" calls back to the folk roots of the album opener with its striking violin and horn arrangement. Both songs that bookend the album sound like they're coming from a different band -- the arrangements are richer and the songs' meanings are open to greater interpretation. I wish there was more of it on Led Into The Woods, but the other songs are fun enough to keep this from being a major complaint.

Led Into The Woods is a rowdy fun trip, but I hope The Amboys take me deeper into the woods the next time we hang out.