Thursday 28 March 2013

Broken Bones Review


Broken Bones 
jonnythefirth

This has been out a while now, but it’s well worth mentioning because you might have missed it. That would be a pity.

The album is tagged on Bandcamp as ‘blues punk Virginia’ which may be the first time I have seen those words together in any meaningful context, but as I listened through the album that description proved fairly accurate, if a little limited.

By the time you reach 9th track, No Heroes, the raucous guitars are accompanying a decidedly Virginian bassline and it seems that-  just like the barmaid in The Blues Brothers says- they do both kinds of music, “Country AND Western…!” That said, the lyrics remain stubbornly Wild West Yorkshire- “I went for a walk down Painthorpe Lane…” hardly Robert Johnson heading towards the mythical crossroads, but I like it!

Tracks like Pitbull Blues have a fuzzier, more bluesy edge; overall, this album displays a wide palate of influences: Dirty Jokes has a jangly 60s feel to it and Damages, the  longest track at just over five minutes, slows the pace down and builds to an anthemic chorus- but anthemic in a good way, yeah!

It is this variety that makes the album an easy listen and suggests that Johnnythefirth has some real potential sonically; they fuse and fade between styles comfortably yet never overdo it.

They are safely installed on the bill for Long Division 2013 and I would recommend trying to catch them live because this collection of songs feels as if they will be even more impressive out in the wild...

Matt Rhodie

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