You know the drill.
Across Tundras: Electric Relics (2013)4 out of 5 stars
As I've mentioned before, Across Tundras is one of those few bands who expertly land themselves at the crossroads of metal and dark Americana. They sound like an old-school country/Western band (complete with nasally cowboy vocals) mixed with the desert rock of Kyuss. The production is extremely dry, and listening to it feels like a walk through the desert to a marginal frontier town. It's tailor-made for me, but your mileage may vary.
Those Poor Bastards: Satan Is Watching (2008)1 out of 5 stars
I discovered Those Poor Bastards by following a trail of "recommended" YouTube videos, and they immediately appealed to me. Upon hearing the full record, I am considerably less impressed. Rather than being a band who play Americana with honesty and passion, they come off as a gothic rock band with a gimmick. When he mentions that everybody has a horseless carriage, that drove the point home about as far as it could. It's also a little more cabaret than what I'm typically looking for. No thanks to this.
Wino & Conny Ochs: Heavy Kingdom (2012)3.5 out of 5 stars
After hearing Conny Ochs, I kicked myself for passing this one up while the promo was available to me. "Naw, I'll just wait until I have to pay for it." Heavy Kingdom is the second collaboration between Ochs and Wino, and it showcases a lot of improvement in the way they work together. Plus, there's a lot more focus on Ochs, who has a better voice for this particular style anyway. They sadly front-loaded the best songs, and even though there is improvement in their duet abilities, their voices still aren't great together.
I think I'm going to have to look further into Across Tundras. What I hear intrigues me greatly.
ReplyDelete