Elroy - Shine

Jason Landry, contributor

Today, I popped into Rosebud Records in Portsmouth, NH to flip through the bins before I got to chatting with the owner Marc McElroy. Marc is no stranger to the Seacoast music scene. Besides the record store, he owns Gary’s Guitars, owns and operates Electric Cave Recording Studio, and has a band called Elroy. 

Released in 2018 and pressed by Third Man in Detroit, the album Shine by Elroy features a number of local musicians including Charlie Kickham, Brian Coleman, and Adam Doiron. McElroy told me that the vibe of the music was Americana, and since that’s an umbrella term for music that is a little bit soul, R&B, country and folk rock, on first listen, I’d have to agree. 

The album kicks off with the track “Walk Away” that evokes this early Motown feel. The higher-register vocals paired with the horn section is a brilliant touch. 

“Just Enough” takes things down a notch and features the addition of Bruce Derr on pedal steel guitar giving it that country-esque flair. Meanwhile, “Take The Blame”, has this David Bowie “Young Americans” style swing to it courtesy of the horns once again. You find McElroy reminiscing about the summer in the 80’s spent chasing those “Northshore Girls”. 

I found “Say You Will” to be an emotional song. It reads like a final conversation or a letter to a departing soul.

From there, the album moves to a beautiful positive message on “Make It Shine”. 

You got to make it shine, before it all falls apart, 

You got to feel the sunshine, let it into your heart.

“Turn It Around” shifts focus to a story of resilience, following a woman turning her life around and finding a new way of living. I especially loved how the guitar solo cleverly mirrors the vocal lines of the verse.

“Into The Fire” has that 70’s classic rock punch coupled with some great guitar licks. Then, “All I Want Is You” returns the listener back to that early country sound, accompanied once again by a beautiful pedal steel. 

They close out the album with “The Girl Is Hard To Get”, which is pretty self explanatory. It’s that all-too-familiar story about a woman who is hard to get, hard to forget, changes like the weather, and remains entirely unapproachable. It’s basically a musical delivery of all the warnings that your best friends give you—including the hardest one—you’re never gonna get her.

Ultimately, Shine has a little bit of everything. Its warm, analog sound takes the listener back to the days before the digital era, when records were captured with pure soul. If you’re a fan of Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, or even the slower, atmospheric vibes of Bruce Springsteen, Elroy is your jam.