‘O Dig’ is the latest album from THE WOODSHEDDERS, a band that has been around for ten years now. This is their second album which follows on from 2009’s debut ‘Catch That Yardbird’.
Their music, which the band describes as ‘Indie Roots Americana’ is a mixture of country, jazz, Gypsy swing and rhythm & blues. The band is a quintet and comprises Dwayne Brooke on vocals and acoustic guitar, Ryan Mayo on upright bass, David Van Deventer on fiddle, Jared Pool on mandolin and Jesse Shultzaberger on drums. Here they are supported by a variety of guests including Aimee Curl and Morgan Morrison assisting on vocals.
There are nine tracks on the album which reflects the band’s musical diversity appropriately. First off is ‘Badger Blood’ a bluegrass guitar and fiddle based country strut with a hillbilly ode to the joys of drinking pints of badgers blood (hopefully a type of ale rather than the circulatory system of a striped mammal!): “Grandsassle dreamed he was young again, danced all night with Loretta Lynn/ Woke up laying in a plate of eggs, said ‘how in the hell did I hurt my leg’.” With lyrics that are an amusing slant on classic song storytelling, very much in the style that has been used at various times by Tom Waits, this is an excellent opener.
‘Narwhal’ (a type of Arctic whale) is a lovely instrumental Gypsy swing number with the acoustic guitar played in Django Reinhardt style, interplayed with upright bass and supported by fiddle, it’s a lively number that will get the feet a-tappin’.
‘
'Slipping Through’ is a track that I’m in two minds about. The rhythm section produce a reggae backbeat, whilst the fiddle is pure country, in places it is slightly reminiscent of The Violent Femmes ‘Please Do Not Go’, however, I’m still not really sure that this mixture works particularly well, and I personally would have preferred it as a stand alone country song.
‘Viper James’ is again another Gypsy swing jazz number, which again puts one in the mind of The Quintette du Hot Club de France and classic jazz. The lyrics refer to a folklore story of a person making trees into clouds: - “Once upon a time there was this cat named Viper James/ who made so many clouds that everywhere he went it rained.” Whilst the subject matter is strange to say the least this is a really enjoyable number.
|
‘Four Winds’ is the sort of pre-rockabilly country rock song that was a fast hopping hillbilly styled tune from the early 1950s. The lyrics relate to being restless, and following the call of the road and it's a great track that works really well: surely one of the highpoints of the album.
‘Virginia’s Fair Daughters’ is a slow folksy country waltz which made me think of the Waterboys. The story is all about a man who decides to go travelling instead of settling down with any of the girls in question, in his later years after a life on the road, imagining being called home.
‘Sand Grain’ is a speedy swing number with some Dylanesque lyrics:- “Pretty Polly with a kitchen knife, she writes me a cheque/ And then chains it to the pit-bull in her private jet.” Once again, a thoroughly enjoyable track.
‘Swallow’s Wings’ is a slow atmospheric jazz ballad featuring Aimee Curl and Morgan Morrison singing. The bass is well in evidence and the vocal harmonies are excellent. Finally, the album closes with ‘Chicken To Change’, and like the earlier ‘Slipping Through’, I’m a little undecided about this track. The musical style is like a free jazz track however the vocal is done in a pure rap style, which sits uneasily with the melody. This is the sort of thing I can vaguely imagine a group like Steely Dan having a stab at, and for me it just doesn’t really work.
Overall, this was a really good listen, and if it had just the seven tracks instead of the more experimental mish mashes, it would have scored higher. It’s certainly well worth a listen, and I look forward to their next outing.
|
