...and there's a Postcard mention??? Of course, she got it wrong --
Postcard is the Tupelo family list, but nonetheless, it's weird to see
it come up in a review.
The Gourds "Ghosts of Hallelujah"
ALLEGRO MUSIC
BY MEREDITH OCHS | If you read Postcard, the alternative-
country Internet discussion group, on the right day, you might walk
away with the impression that the Gourds are the second coming
of Christ, or at least the late Uncle Tupelo. Participants in online
chat groups often describe their favorite bands with the zealous
admiration of a fanzine writer. But the fact that the Gourds' two
newest members left far more established alt-country groups to join
the ragtag Austin quintet (former Tupelo/Wilco multi-instrumentalist
Max Johnston had been playing with Freakwater; drummer Keith
Langford was in the Damnations TX) indicates that these guys are
really onto something.
The Gourds' latest, "Ghosts of Hallelujah," certainly lives up to the
band's buzz. It's even better than the two previous unbounded
excursions into slackerbilly that landed them a brief stint with Sire.
Rather than smooth out their rough edges on "Ghosts," the Gourds
raise ragged-but-right to a high art with added instrumentation and
melodies that stick to your ribs like okra. The group benefits
immensely from the addition of one-man string band Johnston,
whose laid-back fiddle, Dobro, banjo and mandolin playing winds
around the rootsy guitar crunch and one-octave accordion of
Claude Bernard. Obliquely borrowing bits of country, honky-tonk,
Delta blues, Cajun and Tex-Mex, the Gourds revisit the creative
search and spirit of early roots rockers like the Band much more
so than Wilco, which is frequently tagged as the Levon Helm and
company of the '90s. Where Wilco openly nod to specific classic
albums, the Gourds' songs can be traced further back to loose
front-porch jams. As a result, "Ghosts" draws you in with the
directness of rural music, but moves at the speed of
rock.
******
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Dave Purcell, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Northern Ky Roots Music: http://w3.one.net/~newport
Twangfest: http://www.twangfest.com
