My love of lofi acoustic records goes back to the first time I listened to A Crowd of Drunken Lovers by Robert Blake. The very fact that someone could be reduced to one or two mics and a 4-track recorder, yet still make some of the most beautiful albums I'd ever listened to (and one which still receives a fair amount of spins on my CD player 2 years down the line) actually physically astounded me. It is because of this revelation that I judge most bedroom singer songwriter types by this very high, often unreachable benchmark.
Having said that, it's a fairly inappropriate approach to use when reviewing this newest release by Ayrshire's own Roscoe Vacant.
The EP kicks off with Eve of War, a seasoned live favourite that I must have heard a hundred times before. The song, however, doesn't lose any of it's power or poignancy, and is only complimented by the subtlety of the tracks mandolin lead parts. Four More Years kicks off with an introduction that would have you believe that Roscoe had gone slightly mad and decided to record an Otis Redding cover. This feeling quickly dissipates when his trademark driving punk rock guitar playing kicks in, along with some very unironic pop punk vocal harmonies. The record's title track, a stunning indictment of the hype around the election of President Barack Obama quickly reminds us of punk's most important founding principle: “nothing's going to change, not unless you make it”. Barley Bree provides the listener with a nod to another fairly well known Ayrshire rebel and poet, Robert Burns, while Misery Loves Company comes across as a kick in the teeth to middle class apathy, and is surely not an anthem to be heard at “kicking out time at the 13th note”.
The second half of the record struck me as somewhat familiar, till I realised that it was actually a short selection of tracks from the earlier Escape from Doom Valley live EP. Eve of War gets it's second, slightly louder exposition, followed by Tight Knots of October, which kicks in with a sound I often acquaint to The Specials being exposed to QOTSA midway through Ghost Town. My only complaint on this half of the record is the overarching sense that this session sounds like it was recorded in a cave (a common complaint I have of community radio sessions).
I find myself continually having to remove myself from my usual lofi mindset while listening to this record in order to appreciate it's obvious punk roots fully. Long story short: if you'd rather hear gentle love songs, sung by middle aged hipsters, stick to Iron & Wine. If ballsy, socially relevant and politically sound folk punk is more your bag, Roscoe Vacant is your man!
Roscoe Vacant's “Nothing's Going To Change” is available as a free download from his myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/roscoevacant)
First paragraph seems to be missing from the review.
ReplyDeleteGood work though, has a nice balance between subjective and objective.
And a bloody good CD.