Search - Freakwater :: End Time

Jon R. (Wile1Coyote) from FERNDALE, MI
Reviewed on 6/30/2010...

Really Really excellent LP, reminds me of a female version of Drive By Truckers, more country than truckers but they have that same twaaaaaang thing going like Cooley does. I'd reco-mend fo sho!

A shock for some ears, but balm for many others

dltstl | Oakland, CA United States | 11/03/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If the "No Depression" movement got you interested in traditional sounds and you're wondering what else is out there; if you sided with Son Volt over Wilco in the Great Schism; if you understand that some people think 'high lonesome' is code for 'hard on the ears' (but you don't mind); if you used to like real country music but then you grew up and went to art school (OK, maybe that last one isn't fair)... then you may just be a nascent Freakwater fan.I suppose it's true that they do sometimes miss the note; more often, though, it's just that the note they hit is not the soothing one easy listening pop radio has taught us to expect. I have to laugh when I think about the people who bought this blind on the basis of the recommendation. When that twang and dissonance that is a legitimate part of the traditional country music heritage (ever listen to Bill Monroe?) kicked in, they must have fractured something jumping up to yank this out of the CD player. And this is one of their more accessible albums!Which is not to suggest that Freakwater is just reguritating musical history. The themes are modern, and generally personal and dark. There's a lot going on here, and it's all worth exploring.Listen to the previews. Download some of the free songs. Give yourself time to adjust your frame of reference. Then you can really listen and decide if you're interested in what they're putting out. If you're hungry for honest, low-gloss, traditional sounds, there's a good chance you will be."

Take me to the river...

tksc | 01/23/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's hard being a Freakwater fan. Person A wants to share his/her favorite music with Persons B,C, and D. But Freakwater evokes responses of "What the?..." and "Is this Country?" (add hill-billy accent).But we carry on, we rare and proud few. We carry on.I must say that I was surprised by the lushness of this album. I wasn't expecting a full-on production. This came as a pleasant surprise.And it pleased me greatly that Janet finally gets her equal time, with some of the best songs on the album. And Janet has never sounded more like Emmy Lou, never more graceful. Catherine is downright haunting in her turn on 'Cloak of Frogs.' It should be subtitled, 'Croak of Frogs,' in honour of her terrific vocal compliment. And 'Raised Skin' may be the most beautiful song ever written for two voices since Mozart. Finally: it's hard to imagine a Freakwater album without cover art from Catherine. But the photos are really nice."