Quick Review: Hayshaker – Tin Roof Snare



Hayshaker: Tin Roof Snare (Self-released, 2010)

One good reason to feel like a gigantic turd is the fact that I haven’t written anything about Hayshaker even though I downloaded the album months ago. Hayshaker comes from the town where Gram Parsons grew up (Waycross, Georgia) and Tin Roof Snare is their sophomore album. It’s a really fine album even though I think it’s a bit of a slow starter and the quality really kicks in midway through the park. Sure it’s all pretty good beforehand as well and Merle Haggard is a great song title, but the last four songs are the the ones that I enjoy the most. Especially Swamp Country is such a great country song with lyrics that make you smile, some awesome male-female harmonies and a wonderful melody. Tin Roof Snare actually has a fair share of beautiful pop melodies on it and therefore you might like it even if you are not that much into country music.

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Hayshaker at myspace

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Review: Penniless – A Cab To The City



Penniless: A Cab to the City (A West Side Fabrication, 2010)

It would be a good time to finally make that pilgrimage to Nakkila. That is the place where Penniless comes from and therefore it must be worth visiting. A Cab to the City is the new Penniless album and once again it’s utterly brilliant. I would say it’s one of their finest album to date and that’s a lot said, because the whole back catalogue is pretty amazing. The overall tone is a little darker this time around, but thanks to the gorgeous melodies and the beautiful singing it doesn’t get too heavy or depressive. In fact, it’s one of the most enjoyable albums of the whole year.

Youngest of the brothers Ossi Alisaari has taken over most of the songwriting duties and that suits me fine, because even though I have always enjoyed Pekka Alisaari’s blissfully twisted rockers,  I think Ossi has a great pop sensibility and his songs tend to be closest to the kind of music that I usually love. A Cab to the City is filled with fantastic rock songs. All those hyped indie rock acts with big-ass deals couldn’t come up with equally perfect song trio like The Missing, Hail Of Bullets and Brothers even if their haircuts depended on it. Things just doesn’t get much better here in Finland or anywhere else for that matter. Ok, maybe a few of the songs are a tad over-long, but even these that hit scary lengths, work suprisingly well. In Overall, A Cab to the City is freakin’  awesome and extremely close to a full amount of hearts.

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Penniless Website
Penniless at myspace
 
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wIBlGviglI&w=480]

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Quick Review: Earl Pickens & Family – Gathering

Earl Pickens & Family: Gathering (YAY! Music, 2010)

Earl Pickens & Family previously made an acoustic bluegrass version of U2’s Joshua Tree, but the new album Gathering is full of their own material. A wise decision, because they certainly have some really great songs. For me Gathering is a little bit of hit and miss kind of record. Not that the misses are bad misses. The “misses” are pleasant and good folk songs as well. However, the hits are pretty perfect hits and I love songs like True Too and Noreen, You Live To Lie To Me. They are just delivered with such beauty and warmness that you end up smiling even when the lyrical content is trying to crush you and I kind of love the contrast. A beautiful folk record.

Listen to True Too:
[audio:http://www.onechord.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/06-true-too.mp3]

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Earl Pickens & Family Website
Earl Pickens & Family at myspace

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Quick Review: John Meeks – Old Blood

John Meeks: Old Blood (Loud And Clear, 2010)

I’ve been enjoying this album called Old Blood by San Diego-based country singer-songwriter John Meeks for a couple of months and therefore it’s definitely about time to recommend it. It might not be one of my favourite albums of the year, but it does contain some fantastic songs. For example Oh My Sweet Darlin’ and I See Your Lips has a pretty perfect Gram Parsons like classic country thing going on, while things like I Don’t Want To Think Of You are captivating and melancholic americana in the vein of Neal Casal. Some of Old Blood might be “only good”, but on the other hand some of it is highly impressive and very convincing.

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Listen to Been Down By Love
[audio:http://www.onechord.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/03-been-down-by-love.mp3]

John Meeks Website
John Meeks at myspace

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