C.O.F.F.I.N – ‘Australia Stops’ (Bad Vibrations)

C.O.F.F.I.N – ‘Australia Stops’ (Bad Vibrations)

If you prefer the US re-dubbed version of Mad Max, George Miller’s 1979 post-apocalyptic vision of the future, then hit the homepage button now, because C.O.F.F.I.N are about as Australian as every millimetre of Mick “Two Fingers” Simpson’s beer belly. Just take one look at the front cover of ‘Australia Stops’, the band’s fifth album to date, and there’s no disputing these madmen from the Northern Beaches of Sydney really do suffer for their art. I mean who has a mullet in 2023? Well, other than the members of Rough Gutts, obviously. (Ha!)

Yeah, these four guys are like a Cosmic Psychos and Asteroid B-612 jam band playing Bea Smith’s birthday bash at Boggo Road Jail, that’s how bloody Australian they are, and they sound totally bloody bonza too! Just take one listen to the album’s opening track (and lead video) ‘Give Me A Bite’ and tell me I’m wrong.  The opening guitar licks of this track slap you straight across the face before vocalist and drummer Ben Portnoy (no relation…I hope) literally spits the song’s lyrics in it too. There’s something very Hip Priests-like about the “spit in my wounds” refrain too, and that’s certainly no bad thing, eh pop pickers? 

I must admit that when the band released their ‘Children In Finland Fighting In Norway’ (think about it) album a few back, I was already balls deep into a playlist featuring the likes of Stiff Richards, Private Function and Civic, so that record’s dozen tracks kind of passed me by, but here in 2023 with no such distractions to take my (bonk) eye off the C.O.F.F.I.N shaped prize, I’m all about the mullet maaaaan.

‘Cut You Off’ reminds me of just how great Airbourne used to be before they recorded the same album four times over, mixing the Rose Tattoo riffage with Motorhead attitude to absolute perfection. ‘City Sun’ meanwhile appears to be an ode to a man with the head of a horse, so I’m always going to love it aren’t I?

‘Keep It Dark’ and ‘Lovers Leash’ quickly follow and continue this four to the floor approach before ‘Beasts’ chugs its harp beating black heart past the record’s midway point, and I can’t help but think of Stevie Young’s old band Starfighters and their classic debut album every time I hear this one.   

For the second half of ‘Australia Stops’ the album’s title track introduces us to a further five song knuckle sandwich of punch drunk rock ‘n’ roll, the highlight of which (for me anyway) is the blistering one – two of ‘Through The Sewer’ and ‘Faceless’ a fine duo of tunes for the children of Generation Z to truly lose their shit over, just like they have been to the likes of Amyl & The Sniffers and The Chats.

Hotter than a rollin’ dice, C.O.F.F.I.N will hopefully be back soon to rule the roads of the UK (they did a run of shows back at the start of the summer) and promote ‘Australia Stops’ to the max, In the meantime we can all get excited about this mighty fine record hitting the record shop racks on September 15th.

Play it loud folks, PLAY IT LOUD!

You can pre-order ‘Australia Stops’ via the following link; http://coffin.lnk.to/AustraliaStops

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Author: Johnny Hayward

The Hangmen – ‘Stories To Tell’ (Acetate Records)

The Hangmen – ‘Stories To Tell’ (Acetate Records)

I always get excited when I hear news trickling through the grapevine that Californias Bryan Smalls has assembled The Hangmen to record some new music and when I got the PR to say ‘Stories To Tell’ was indeed done and in the can, I couldn’t wait to get me some.

Getting straight to business, ‘Broken Heartland gets ‘Stories To Tell’ off to a flier with its solid tempo and some cool slide driving this Rocker onward and upwards. With some really nice solo work. With very little fanfare it’s on with the show and always a band who simply let the music do their talking. As far as openers go this is a thumper, no messing about just good honest Rock n Roll with a decent hook sweet playing and a melody on the chorus that locks in to your good vibe receptors of your brain making this addictive and oh so sweet.

Play on. With a nice round ten tracks on offer Smalls laid back exterior and style is no more aparent than ‘Midnight Riders’ with its widescreen vision as the sun drops out of the sky its such a quality tune. You’ve gotta love the melody as it battles with the music for what grabs you most but this is where The Hangmen sit best for me – it sounds effortlessly cool as you’re drawn in. They turn up the amps for ‘Last Time I Saw You’ as the riff chimes the band are rockin out here just cruising through the gears.

Another shift in tempo sees the laid back ‘On The Outside’ go country roots rock. The acoustic guitars are out and its time to sip a beer on the porch whilst the Rock n Roll eases back. Four songs deep and four sides to The Hangmen painting broad strokes with a thread throughout thats totally recognisable which isn’t easy to do. That Hangmen tone is what captures your attention. It’s raw as a seeping wound but sweet as honey, ‘Sinister Purpose’ hangs its melody on a big riff thats classic and modern but always quality. The cowbell is out on ‘Bayou Moon’ as Smalls leads his troops down a Stones rabit hole that oozes class. As the groove takes hold I’m gazing into the sky hoping we can all get some of this ‘Bayou Moon’. In fact The Stones are lurking in the DNA of Stories To Tell as the acoustic rocker of ‘Behind The Wheel’ will testify.

With a title track being a mid paced mid day rocker stretching itself out building to the chorus its just classic Hangmen and if you get it you’ll dig it and admire their class. Its a very impressive album with variety and moments left right and centre that purr with quality from the rockin opener to the almost baladlike ‘Runnin Kind’ that brings the curtain down on this excellent album. Don’t take my word for it. Head out there and pick up a copy or if you’re modern and like to stream then get on and pre save it so you can also marvel in the majesty that is the most excellent Hangmen. Winner!

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Author: Dom Daley

Marc Valentine Returns With New Single ‘Jinx of Finchley Road’ On Wicked Cool Records

Marc Valentine Returns With New Single ‘Jinx of Finchley Road’ On Wicked Cool Records

Marc Valentine, the unmistakably British singer-songwriter whose powerpop-fueled debut album was released last year to critical acclaim, returns with ‘Jinx Of Finchley Road’ – a digital single scheduled for release through Little Steven’s Wicked Cool Records.

Produced by Dave Draper (The Wildhearts, Ryan Hamilton, The Professionals), the song hints at nefarious and uncanny happenings in North London. Nostalgia and mystery meet in a basement full of hooks to create a single that sounds as if it was
plucked from the charts during the glory days of Britpop.

Having honed his craft over four albums with cult pop-rockers Last Great Dreamers, Valentine launched a solo career in 2022, his album ‘Future Obscure’ delighting fans and picking up praise from an array of publications.

‘Jinx Of Finchley Road’ marks his return to the spotlight, which looks set to grow even brighter through 2024.

Upcoming live dates 

Friday 15 September – Trillians, Newcastle 

Saturday 16 September – Fulford Arms, York

All links to buy and hear Marc Here

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Diamond Dogs – ‘About The Hardest Nut To Crack’ (Wild Kingdom)

Diamond Dogs – ‘About The Hardest Nut To Crack’ (Wild Kingdom)

Sweden’s finest purveyors of honky tonk flavoured rock n’ roll return with a new long player, just over 18 months after the luscious double album offering ‘Slap Bang Blue Rendezvous’ hit the shelves.

It seems nothing can keep Sulo and the boys from delivering good time rock n’ roll like the last 6 decades of musical innovation never happened. The Faces meets The Stones is a good rut to be stuck in and we wouldn’t want it any other way, not when the songs are this good.

Written and recorded over an 8-day period and recorded in old school analogue, ‘About The Hardest Nut To Crack’ sees the Swedish band in fine form from the word go.

12 bar boogie blues is the name of the game with opener ‘Get A Rock n Roll Record’ and the message is as simple as the three-chord progression it rides on.

Next up ‘Blight The Life’ is one of those life affirming, instantly familiar Sulo melodies. You’ve know you’ve heard it before, but you’re not quite sure where. Was it Rod, Jagger or Monroe? Who knows, or even cares as a mournful fiddle leads us down an emotive road, one we love to frequent again and again.

The low-slung rock n’ roll of ‘Wring It Out’ has plenty of Faces swagger and it’s a raucous party that Sulo and the boys are jamming, with gospel-tinged backing vocals, stabs of keys and a certain boogie-woogie swagger.

There are earworms aplenty on offer. The likes of ‘Gurus and Gangsters’ and ‘Desiree, Yet Another Lonely Mile’ are pure euphoric nostalgia, and about as 70’s as listening to the top 40 run down whilst scoffing a Sunday roast. Songs that groove in a certain way and insist you turn up that dial and dance like no one is watching. 

Sulo’s reflective lyricism recalls the good times and the tight musicianship but loose delivery backs it all up in just the right way. The banjo action on ‘Old Timer’ gives a rustic, partisan feel that sits well with the low-slung guitars and gravelly vocals. The sloppy, but perfectly delivered solo as worn and weathered as the vintage gear it is played on.

The glam slam, foot-stomping closer ‘Rising From The Ruins Of Rock n Roll’ sees the band sign off by telling us to spin them records one more time and not to forget the reason they (and we) do this thing they call rock n’ roll anyway.

A new Diamond Dogs record is always cause for a celebration, and ‘The Hardest Nut To Crack’ does exactly what you would expect. Naysayers may argue that Sulo and the boys are doing nothing new and shock horror, may even be classed as ‘generic’, but you know what? Sometimes I want something familiar, something that doesn’t stray from the path and delivers exactly what I expect it to, and the Diamond Dogs do it every time. Get this rock n’ roll record, play it loud and spread the word. 

PRE-ORDER: https://orcd.co/hardest-nut-to-crack

Author: Ben Hughes

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Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros – Live At Acton Town Hall (Dark Horse Records)

Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros – Live At Acton Town Hall (Dark Horse Records)

First released as a limited run for RSD this iconic and memorable show is captured for the masses on vinyl and streaming with exceptional sound compared to the ropey less than perfect bootlegs that were available.

Recorded on November 15, 2002, the concert was a benefit for striking firefighters and would be one of Joe’s last performances (he passed away a month later). The performance features a three-song reunion with Strummer’s former bandmate from The Clash, Mick Jones, who reunited on stage for the first time in almost twenty years. When I first dropped the needle on this I was awash with emotion as I heard Strummer’s voice and it weighed heavily on my mind for a while just thinking about how I’d never hear his voice again nor get the chance to see him perform. Man I loved the Clash and I loved his solo output listened to more than most in my collection over the years and hearing his mid-song banter here is emotional. Dropping the C Bomb on Simonon and Topper before ‘Police And Thieves’ makes me smile even after hearing it for the umpteenth time. The band Strummer had put together under the Mescaleros banner were always loose yet tight and usually nailed the songs, even the old Clash classics when they opened that particular war chest.

It has to be said that the remastering and production on this official version is exceptional and every instrument has its space when played loudly through a good set of monitors or headphones it’s exceptional what you can hear spilling out. If it’s overdubbed later on I know not but frankly, I don’t care either – it’s a moment in time and one tinged with sadness and glory. the Clash penned some of their generation’s finest tunes no question and Strummer’s solo output isn’t too shabby either but I guess this release is all about the reunion however fleeting and brief. I’m glad it happened and they got to share this moment together and that it was captured for everyone to enjoy.

‘Johnny Appleseed’ and ‘Coma Girl’ sit very nicely alongside ‘Police On My Back’ and ‘I Fought The Law’ but truth be told I’d have paid £30 just for the encore with Jones ‘Bank Robber’, ‘White Riot’ and the appropriate ‘Londons Burning’ are killer, no doubt about it sloppy but oh so sweet. Rest In Peace Joe your body is sorely missed but your soul lives on and on. Buy It!

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Author: Dom Daley

Velvet Insane – ‘High Heeled Monster’ (Wild Kingdom)

Velvet Insane – ‘High Heeled Monster’ (Wild Kingdom)

Swedish rockers release the retro rama-lama-retro album of the year. Put on your high heels and dust off the old TOTP albums the party is about to kick off.

Velvet Insane were formed in 2013 as a four piece outfit but by the time of their self titled debut album they were billed as a duo.

The first album took them around the world touring Europe, Japan, USA & Australia.

Their critically acclaimed debut was a fresh mix between classic rock, pop, inches of folk influences and it also contained traces of early 70’s British glam rock. And the band kept walking that glam track and now they’re back as a trio and this time it’s glam glitter boogie all over.

They hired the cult glamrockers Diamond Dogs frontman Sulo as a producer and together they’ve created a bright shining monster. You can hear the Sulo influence for sure in the epic opener ”Bamalama Breakout’ with all its mid seventies Glam rock n hollerbaloo going on its loud and proud and leaving you in no doubt that Rock and Roll is in the house now crack open the bubbly.

‘High Heeled Monster’ is certainly well titled if you’re looking for a description as to what this sounds like. ‘Boogie Star’ has a cowbell and a hoof footed Rock solid beat and big chorus its Mott The Hoople for the 21st Century and I’m down with that.

Smooth pop harmonies pumped up by heavy drums and barbed wire guitars and singer that wear it well. It brings back memories of a time when Slade, TREX, Bowie & Mott we’re topping the charts.

From the catchy singalong choruses of the pop gems “Velvet Tongue”, “Riding the Skyways” & “Sound of Sirens” to the frantic boogie energy in barroom stompers “Driving down the mountain”, “Backstreet Liberace” & “Spaceage DJ”, it’s the real thing.

You also get a glimpse of Ziggy Stardust in the acoustic ballad “Midnight sunshine serenade”.

Velvet Insane are a band that plays with their hearts on their sleeves and it’s satisfaction guaranteed.

Dregen and Nicke Andersson from The Hellacopters jumps in the backseat in “Backstreet Liberace” and just like Rolling Stones honored the tradition of Muddy Waters blues Velvet Insane takes on the job to keep rock ’n’ roll alive.

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Chris Shiflett – new album details

Chris Shiflett – new album details

NEW ALBUM
‘LOST AT SEA‘
OUT OCTOBER 20TH VIA SNAKEFARM (UK / IRELAND)
PRE-ORDER HERE

NEW SINGLE – ‘DAMAGE CONTROL’ Filmed around the UK from fan footage

Chris Shiflett has announced the release of his new album Lost At Sea, which will be coming out October 20th via Snakefarm in the UK & Ireland. Pre-order here.
 
To coincide with the announcement, he has released the sultry summer anthem ‘Damage Control’, which comes with a video of fan filmed footage from his triumphant sold-out UK headline tour earlier this year.
 
Most of the new album was recorded in Nashville, working with his producer and collaborator Jaren Johnston, frontman of The Cadillac Three, as well as the songwriter behind nearly a dozen Number 1 country hits.


 
“We wrote a lot of these songs during the lockdown,” recalls Shiflett, who spent much of the pandemic at home in Southern California. “Then I began making trips to Nashville to work with Jaren. He and I have a lot of overlap, in terms of the music we like. We made a guitar-centric record that encapsulates everything I’ve been listening to over the years, from the most country songs I’ve ever recorded to punk rock and even songs that sound like a California version of The Clash.”
 
‘Damage Control’ is the track he’s referencing, which strays further from the country influence than most of the album. It’s also the only ‘old’ tune that Johnston and Shiflett included on Lost at Sea.
 
“All the other tunes were written in the months leading up to recording, but when Jaren and I were sorting out which songs to do he mentioned something about The Clash and I remembered this old one I’d demoed about 15 years prior,” recalls Shiflett.


 
With its layers of reverb, pulsing percussion and Echoplex tape delay, ‘Damage Control’ went through a number of versions before reaching its final form in the studio with Johnston.
 
“I love that the musical inspiration on this one was late-stage Clash, but we wound up layering it with banjos and what-not. Definitely takes it somewhere else. Ska-mericana?” Shiflett laughs. “There’s nothing better than when influences converge taking you places you never expected.”
 
Caught halfway between the honky-tonk saloon and the punk rock dive bar, Lost at Sea is both eclectic and electric, making room for alt-country crunch, guitar-driven grit and sharp songwriting. Tying that mix together is Shiflett himself, a musical Renaissance Man whose influences are every bit as wide-ranging as his resumé.
 
The new album also features a stellar cast of Americana all-stars. Among them are fellow guitar slingers Charlie Worsham, Tom Bukovac, and Nathan Keeterle, all three of whom laced the record with fiery fretwork. Shiflett also teamed up with several co-writers, partnering with Kendell Marvel, Cody Jinks, and others to fill Lost at Sea with storylines that pack as hefty a punch as the music itself.
 
The new single follows the release of the two-steppin’ fuzz-fuelled ‘Dead And Gone’ and the southern rockin’ ‘Black Top White Lines’, both setting the flavour of the album with its signature honky-tonk-meets-rock-and-roll sound and blending the lines between his previous albums – 2017’s honky-tonk homage West Coast Town and 2019’s gritty Americana fuelled Hard Lessons.

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PJ Harey-‘I Inside The Old Year Dying’ (Partisan Records)

PJ Harey-‘I Inside The Old Year Dying’ (Partisan Records)

‘I Inside the Old Year Dying’ is PJ Harvey’s tenth album, and her first in seven years. Throughout her career, she has always ensured that each phase of her progress has taken her somewhere new, but her latest music is audacious and original even by her own standards. Full of a sense  of a cyclical return to new beginnings, it combines its creative daring with a sense of being open and inviting, inthe most fascinating way. The new songs, Harvey says, offer “a resting space, a solace, a comfort, a balm-which feels timely for the times we’re in.”

And that intro from the press release is as good a place to start as any, I started listening to Polly Jean back in the time of 5OFT Queenie coming out, stocking Dry when I first opened my own record shop, have moved with her through virtually every stage of her career and watched and listened as every LP has unravelled each with their own personality each echoing a time in Polly Jean’s life making a statement from a snaphot, but always moving forward, the music itself constantly changing and adapting and very much as with people like Bowie and Nick Cave fans will be drawn to a specific era, a genre and sometimes not move forward with the artist happy in the now, unwilling to Embrace change, not something that can be levelled at artists such as Polly Jean.

So what does the LP give us again drawing on Polly Jeans words from the press release

” In the album’s liminal world, scattered with biblical imagery and references to Shakespeare, all these distinctions dissolve. “I’m somewhere where I’ve not been before,” Harvey says. “What’s above,what’s below, what’s old, what’s new, what’s night, what’s day? It’s all the same, really–and you can enter it and get lost. And that’s what I wanted to do with the record, with the songs, with the sound, with everything”.

Opening up with “Prayer at the gate” your instantly drawn into that world of Aural soundscapes faved by Warren Ellis and the Producer flood’s work really draws you in, this is a very different PJ Harvey, the voice an instrument in the whole rather than a lead. Next up “Autum leaves” has quite a Soulful almost funk feel in the backdrop, but the vocals push the song forward in a very different way almost sitting outside the music dipping into and weaving through the Sound. “Lonesome tonight” again has a very different feel a song that stops you dead and you just have to listen, the story unfolding takes me to a parallel with the Orianthi Poem written in old Cornish, this is probably my fave on the LP, it twists and turns and is I think one of the strongest PJ Vocal performances I’ve heard.

“Seen and I “ hints at past sounds but again the vocals move in a very different direction, the John Parish influence I think coming to the fore. “The Nether edge” weaves a very different soundscape almost industrial in its reverb and repetition, but again the vocals sit outside moving in and out, The acoustic guitar that introduces “I inside the old year dying” drifts away as that industrial soundscape takes over, the music changing and adapting to the story being told. “All Souls” enters almost hesitantly the piano and vocals overtaken as the distortion and reverb comes in. At this point you realise how strong the Vocals are throughout this LP I would definitely say this is one Of PJ’s strongest ever vocal performances,

Moving through the rest of the LP “A child’s question July” “I inside the old I dying” with its stop start animation led video, “August” with its initial Piano led soundscape, flows seamlessly into “a Child’s question July”which has an almost mystical feel weaving a fairytail picture, “A noiseless noise” finishes things up with again one of my faves of the LP tearing you back with power and intensity to earlier PJ Harvey works.

This is a powerful LP but in a number of ways, it holds your attention and is very definitely one to listen to all the way through, for someone new to PJ Harvey I’m not sure that it’ll set things up for you to explore the artists earlier work this Isn’t ‘Stories from the City’, ‘Is this Desire’, ‘Dry’ or ‘Pure’, its also a long way from ‘The Hope Six Demolition Project’ and ‘Let England shake’, but if you sit and listen you can pick up pieces from them all just re-interpreted. It might not hit you first listen, but stick with it I think it’ll creep on to my LP of the year list come December!!

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Author: Nev Brooks

James and the Cold Gun ‘James and the Cold Gun’ (Loosegroove Records)

James and the Cold Gun ‘James and the Cold Gun’ (Loosegroove Records)

Vital, cathartic, and essential are some of first words that come to mind when I think of James and the Cold Gun. They first came to my attention last year when I saw they were signed to Loosegroove Records, who has released some great music over the years and is owned by Stone Gossard and Regan Hagar. I checked out their ‘False Start’ EP, which I also reviewed here, and immediately bought everything I could by the band. James and the Cold Gun were formed by James Joseph (ex-Holding Absence) and James Biss (ex-Frown Upon) and rotated through some other band members before settling into what is hopefully a now permanent line-up. Their debut full length has been on the way since late 2022 with the release of hard rocking first video ‘Chewing Glass’ and is finally arriving. This has been my most anticipated album of the year, and it lives up to my high hopes by a wide margin.

The aforementioned ‘Chewing Glass’ kicks off the album and already feels like a classic that has been permanently etched into my brain due to repeated playing for the last 7 plus months. The door closing at the beginning welcomes the album as a lone electric guitar and James Joseph’s vocals set the tone for what is to come. Slowly more guitars and the rest of the band crash down the door and lay waste to everything with the chorus refrain of ‘I’m spitting blood; I’m chewing glass’ providing hope and inspiration in the darkest moments. ‘Something to Say’ follows and was the only prerelease song that didn’t initially grab me in my soul. It has grown on me immensely and works amazingly within the context of the album. The bouncing approach to the verses allows each word to stand apart and then the break in the drums at the first chorus brings the vocals to the forefront. The band channels some of the best parts of rock music over the past three decades and injects it with their own style and approach. This song could have appeared in the 90’s and would still be getting played on the radio today.

‘All the Wrong Places’ turns back up the tempo and spills out of the stereo in a surge of adrenalin with another amazing hook. If you’ve ever enjoyed the likes of RFTC or the Hives, this song should immediately appeal to you. It leads into the slower but still rocking ‘Bittersweet’ where the band provide a lot of space in the verses, but the guitar and bass are irresistible underneath the vocals. This song should be getting played on stereos and on computers all over the world. The rhythm work of Peter Smith (bass) and Jack Wrench (drums) is locked into a great groove here. This one has a chorus that burrows into your brain without you realizing it. ‘Headlights’ contains a chaotic start recalling early ‘Rated R’ era Queens of the Stone Age with Joseph providing primal sounding vocals that fit the song perfectly. It leads into one of the other early singles, the hook filled ‘My Silhouette.’ This one maintains the up-tempo edge and has one of my favorite choruses of the year. The triple guitar attack of Joseph, Biss, and Jynx is used brilliantly throughout the album but especially here.

Starting the back half of the album with the acoustic led ‘Grey Through the Same Lens’ recalls the late Mark Lanegan with some bluesy electric guitar tastefully added as the song progresses. Joseph’s vocals bleed from his soul here with the ‘I’m a bottle lost at sea’ lyric jumping out of the speakers. It sets the stage perfectly for the contrast that comes with the raging ‘Saccharine.’ This is the band at their most untamed but still contains a great hook. On their EP, ‘Plug Me In’ was one of the songs that provided me with a lot of catharsis for getting out all the negative energy in me, and this one creates a very similar feeling. I am pretty sure I can feel my vocal cords tearing when I try to sing along. ‘Alone Again’ was an early song the band did and have redone it brilliantly here. The three guitars all have space to add to the musical tapestry.

‘Cheating on the Sun’ was also an old bandcamp single that has been given a fresh set of paint here and again channels some Queens of the Stone Age type feel. Joseph’s vocals here tap into some great high notes and remind me that this band has developed their own sound but never feel like they are repeating themselves. Closing out the album is their epic ‘Three Years’ which approaches the six-minute mark. They give themselves more room to breathe here throughout the verses with the triple guitar approach being applied perfectly. As the song progresses, we can feel the emotion building and building in the music and the tone of the vocals. It’s a perfect closer for the album. 

As far as debut albums go, this one is perfect for me, but I will go further and say this is one of the best albums you will hear this year. They have managed to create their own sound and really craft an album where the songs complement one another to give the album a flow and dynamics. I could go on and on about how great this album is, but I recommend you go purchase it now and hear it for yourself. Album of the year contender? Most definitely!!

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Author: Gerald Stansbury

Tommy Stinson’s Cowboys in The Campfire – ‘wronger’ (Icons Creating Evil Arts)

Tommy Stinson’s Cowboys in The Campfire – ‘wronger’ (Icons Creating Evil Arts)

Tommy Stinson Should need no introduction however there might well be a whole generation who’ve not had the chance to appreciate the genius of his work be it as an integral member of The Replacements or his solo work, Perfect, Bash & Pop or as a member of Guns N Roses or Soul Asylum. His catalogue of work is extensive as its magnificent and has stretched over four decades. is a revered American musician who has enjoyed a significant four-decade-plus career. He’s appeared on recordings by the Old 97’s, Moth, and BT, plus played bass on Puff Daddy’s ‘It’s All About the Benjamins (Rock Remix)’. There you go kids go look that lot up and then bow down at his feet.

Stinson’s latest venture is Cowboys in the Campfire. A duo with Chip Roberts, their debut album ‘Wronger’ is Americana as apple pie or a star-spangled banner, and whilst he’s dabbled at various points it’s always been fleeting. This bad boy is on a well-trodden trail on horseback with his buddy and they’re suckin’ on cigars and twanging them strings be it Ukulele, pedal steel, or yeehaw, sorry I mean guitar. The very first song, ‘Here We Go Again’, sets the tone; Stinson is on ukulele, singing about the ardors of creativity, while horns swell and the only hint of percussion is from the tapping of feet by the musicians in the room. Toss another log on that there fire boy.

An obvious hanging post would be some Steve Earle and of course, Johnny Cash it’s broad and passionate from the rough ‘n’ ready rockabilly of ‘That’s It’ its a thigh slapping salamander stick thumping banger. ‘We Ain’t’, is authentic and heartfelt, and that’s what draws you in. Other songs such as ‘Schemes’, ‘Souls’ and lead single ‘Dream’ prove the man’s genius at this here songwriting thang be it punk rock or pop and some country has got the whole shooting match sorted. what an ace pop songwriter Stinson still is. If this is the best ten songs he had then his work here is done and he knows it’s nailed.

The genesis of Cowboys in the Campfire actually dates back over a decade. Roberts is the uncle of one of Stinson’s exes and was previously a gun-for-hire guitar slinger. “We’ve been really good friends and writing partners pretty much since we met, writing rock tunes to ballads or country or Americana,” explains Stinson. Neither expected their association to become a going musical concern, but the mid-2010s saw a Guns N’ Roses hiatus prior to Stinson venturing into Replacements and Bash & Pop reunions, so things got a little more serious. “We thought, ‘Let’s go play some shows and fuck around.’ I took some songs he and I had written together, some of my solo stuff, some covers, some other stuff of mine he plays.”

‘Schemes’ is a lush ballad with a swirling organ and a gently picked guitar with a tear-jerking vocal melody superbly delivered. Hell, they could have headed to Memphis and locked themselves away in an office out the back of Sun Studio and worked 9 to 5 to get these done and the living breathing proof would have to be ‘Fall Apart Together’. After only having the briefest time together listening to this I’m sure some Stinson fans will be disappointed it’s not a full-throttled rocker but given time to get used to it I’m sure they’ll appreciate its songwriting genius or if they’re sad about it they can listen to the tear-jerking ‘Hey Man’.

By the time we get to ‘We Ain’t,’ the guys in the band are cooking and there’s plenty of meat on the bone with some lovely twanging going down over the solid acoustic chords. As the album moves gracefully to its finale with ‘Souls’ via some wonderful hazy slide guitar.

This really impressive record waves goodbye with the poptastic ‘Dreams’ with its late-night vocal and honking guitar its signs off in style, with a doffed stetson and a cowboy shirt it’s so long from Tommoy and the gang until next time just don’t take another decade unless you fancy doing another Bash & Pop or pretty please Replacements, but this will more than do. Now throw some ribs on that campfire and let’s do this again.

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Author: Dom Daley

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