Jack Saint – ‘Reap What You Sow’ (Heavy Medication Records)

Jack Saint – ‘Reap What You Sow’ (Heavy Medication Records)

Mutant voodoo blues noise is a great description of your music and a pretty good one at that – sure it’s obvious that the Gun Clubs Jeffrey Lee Pierce looms like a shadow over Saint but there’s more to this artist than that.

It’s been over two years since the debut album on Heavy Medication, and now Warsaw’s Jack Saint is back

 

Its dark,  Tom Waites meets Jim Jones dark as is obvious on “Reap What You Sow” from the outset.  The swampy ‘Worry Blues’ is edgy and experimental as the devil in Saint bellows from the vocals with the needle in the red, their Gun-Club-meets-Beasts-of-Bourbon vibe is darker and heavier than before, as the band mixes it up with new sounds and new textures. but even before that, the record opens with the smooth Jazzy ‘Hair of my True Love is Ice-Blond’ something even Nick Cave has dabbled with.  Sprawling over five minutes long is a brave opener and you realise straight away that you have to go on this journey with Jack Saint or it’s not worth bothering.

 

It’s raw and in your face. the more Cramps like ‘Moving On (Freight Train)’ is a bit of a stomper and the more experimental ‘Music Against Nature’ is a messed up hybrid of styles that does and doesn’t work so much as it staggers like a late night with Olly Reid.  One of the best tracks is the bruising ‘Severence Till You’ again stuttering and staggering with its heavy guitar sounding like an artillery volley before falling back into the groove.

 

The album closes with the Fuzztones like keys and guitar funk attack and a head explosion of an album is done.  I did enjoy it and will dip in and out over time I’m sure of it.  Late-night absynth induced experiences might help make sense of this record more than just playing it on some streaming site it was made to be indulged after dark and I like that and so should you.

Order yours from heavymedication.com. / Bandcamp
Author: Dom Daley

JD Hangover – Self Titled (Hound Gawd Records)

JD Hangover – Self Titled (Hound Gawd Records)

This is the debut mini-album of No wave blues if there’s such a thing. Born out of barroom frequented by midnight dwellers from Stiv Cantarelli and the Silent Strangers its dark smokey and in league with some black magic that’s for sure.  With one hand on the Gun Club back catalogue and the other on the steel strung guitar and overdriven amp that has been used previously by the likes of Gallon Drunk and Birthday Party for sure and you could throw in a healthy (or should that be unhealthy does of The Cramps) for good measure.

‘Barrellhouse Queen’ is like a morning after come down when your head is banging like a big bass drum and everything sounds so distant.  The tension created is mesmeric and whilst at times feels claustrophobic it also feels like its the audio equivalent of the great wide open and all panoramic all within one song. that just doesn’t so much grow but envelops the listener and the louder you can get away with playing it the better.

Reverb-heavy feedback-laden its got warmth and atmosphere for sure and that Alan Vega drum echo is chilling on ‘Headspinner Blues’ and as the slide hits the guitar and the strings vibrate it sends a chill right up my spine. I’m taken back to when I first heard Jesus and Mary Chain and their debut single hit my stereo its the same gut-wrenching primal scream (no pun intended) its got a heartbeat that says 50’s rock n roll but its also raging against contemporary music and all its studio trickery as this sounds like its one take one mic one idea – done ‘Mr. Williamson’ fades like smoke rising from a burning pyre.

‘Broken Bones Blues’ is like suicide meets the delta blues and my head is banging along to that distorted beat. to cap it all off if you need any encouragement the final offering is a mesmeric beat beating away entitled ‘Down At The Public House’.  Get this on the road along with Paul-Ronney and his Urban Voodoo Machine who would be the ideal drinking partner for this slice of dark underworld Rock and Roll.  Waste no time in sourcing this out if you’ve ever had a hankering for any of the bands referenced in this review because your going to love this no doubt about it.

Buy Here

Author: Dom Daley