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Review: 'MACKAY, BILL & WALKER, RYLEY'
'SpiderBeetleBee'   

-  Label: 'Drag City'
-  Genre: 'Alt/Country' -  Release Date: '20th October 2017'

Our Rating:
This is essentially an acoustic album by a guitar playing (picking) duo but it casts the net wide for influences which include latin, baroque and blues. In some ways you might call it Americana.

It clocks in at around 30 mins and makes for a pleasant listening experience. It is really about the interplay of the two guitars most of the time although there are some subtle overdubs in the mix. Cello for example?

They are obviously seasoned pros and intuitive musicians and they work well together in this intimate setting. "The Grand Old Trout" is a classical meander and "Pretty Weeds Revisited" has a bit more of a live room vibe to it, fleshed out by the previously mentioned strings.

"Naturita" stretches out over six and a half minutes and you can hear them tuning up and moving about on it. It is a very minimal affair and the tune doesn't start 'til about half way through but when it does it's a lovely thing with glass slide also. "I Heard Them Singing" is kind of a pop tune a bit like Jose Feliciano. "Lonesome Traveler" has a real country twang to it and the album rounds off with "Dragonfly" which I guess is an ode to that helicoptoral insect?

I think this album is well worth checking out, even for the uninitiated - like me.
  author: Leo Newbiggin

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MACKAY, BILL & WALKER, RYLEY - SpiderBeetleBee