Out of the swamp & into the fire...
B.A. Evans | IN, USA | 05/28/2010
(3 out of 5 stars)
"There's grinding gears, barbed wire tumbleweeds, junk yard yodels, and a whole lot of dust. Oh, and some grave yards.
It won't take long to hear that Th' Shack Shakers aren't in the swamps of Louisiana on Agridustrial. Nope, they're on the run to Nashville. Dig the sound of them burning down the back roads and barren fields. Avoiding any and all local authorities. They keep trying to hide - no dice. There's nothing to keep 'em safe from the guns. From the wind. From the sun. Every now and then a train passes by and they stow away.
This is the sound of the Dixieland apocalypse. Iron workers all out of iron. Godless fields raped by crows. Yes, the sound has been done before; Col. J.D. Wilkes sites Bone Machine by Tom Waits as inspiration. If you know that album - you'll hear it in every song. Mr. Waits definitely painted a more somber picture. Th' Shack Shakers splatter the canvas with rust colored blood (or blood colored rust?) and then light part of it on fire.
3 stars because I personally I miss the swamp stomp and CCR-from-hell vibe, but there are some very exciting moments on this one.
The banjo driven and foot stomping "Sugar Baby." The Colonel, with his harmonica (and probably some bourbon), raises Slim Harpo from the grave in "God Fearing People." "Hammer And Tongs" is kiln hot and midnight dark. The album's finest track is "Dump Road Yodel" - trash can drums, broken banjo, out-of-space guitar, and, naturally, a Singing Brakeman yodel. The other songs in between are ferocious as usual but not memorable as in the past. It ends with spooks and ghouls swimming in an iron lung, but the barroom piano of "The Lost Cause" concludes the album as one would predict. Lonesome, drunk, bitter. The sun is down and hope is following in tow."
Shack Shakers Get Better and Better
J. Weber | Parma, Ohio United States | 04/24/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This band's current line-up, which includes Duane Dennison, famous from the Jesus Lizard, just keeps getting better and better. I bought this from the band at a recent show in Cleveland. Onstage, they are tight as can be, and put on a wild show. This record is the first with Dennison and reflects their growth. Lots of territory is covered here, from fast rockers to banjo-enhanced ballads (sorta) with some truly unusual percussion features. The lyrics tell current tales of the crumbling society at large. I highly recommend this disc, as well as seeing these guys live if you get the chance. They make great music with a sense of humor, and they're also really nice guys."
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1