Three Chords and the Truth UK

What are the factors for deciding to hone in on any particular release? From the beginning, obtaining an advance copy of MAYONNAISE, the new release from Deer Tick, tossed a few interesting inquisitive points around. Firstly, they are a band never investigated before despite being on the known periphery for a number of years. Maybe also a quiet period for new material created a suitable window to take a step into their world and give the album a couple of spins as a taster. Throw in the status of this being an interim release mixing covers, alternate versions of old songs and a handful of newbies gave the exploration process plenty of teeth and avenues. On a side note, who can resist the striking cover sharing one of life’s delightful pleasures and the name Spencer Cullum Jr getting an insert alongside a song title. Where you stand on the mayonnaise debate may be irrelevant, but acknowledging one of Nashville’s premium pedal steel players, probably best known for his longstanding...

Simplicity is top of the agenda when you first digest the music of Tiffany Williams. Yet peel away from the minimalist nature of a single voice, and the assortment of stringed acoustic instrumentation flickering in and out, reveals a deep thinking singer-songwriter pondering some primal feelings. In the case of this East Kentuckian now residing in Nashville, it is the complexities of movement and the endearing lure of your roots. If twenty minutes and five songs act as the audition, WHEN YOU GO is a wonderful introduction to an artist well-equipped to make serious moves in the world of country-folk. The shortened EP format can be a double edged sword when it comes to assessing the impact of music. The length enables conclusions drawn quickly, but with the nagging doubt, whether the sample is representative. In the case of Tiffany Williams, there was an instant attraction that wavelengths are aligned, further compounded when adding the accompaniment of finding the lyrics on her w...

Adam's House Cat may not be a name known to many, but Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers fame are likely to resonate further, especially with those at the cutting edge of alt-country before it morphed into Americana. In the late 80's/early 90's prior to Cooley and Hood forming the band that would lead them into some resemblance of the promised land, they hung around Muscle Shoals Alabama playing a raw form of distinctive rock 'n' roll under the moniker of the aforementioned name. Now twenty seven years after the tracks for TOWN BURNED DOWN had a premature birth, they have finally been re-discovered, brushed up a touch and turned into a somewhat commercial format to formalise what Adam's House Cat were about during their brief existence. The result is twelve rip roaring tracks heavy on the rock 'n' roll duo of driving guitar and upbeat percussion. ' Runaway Train ' is the standout track by a fair distance, although not to the ...