Customer Reviews

New Deal

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Waco Brothers -- comprised of Mekons frontman Jon Langford and veterans of various Chicago industrial and rock bands -- almost singlehandedly brought cowpunk back to life in the mid-'90s. Their first album was a nice hot blast from the forges of twangcore, mixing feedback with leftie politics. The next couple of albums wore thin, though, and seem a bit obsessed with the idea and seemingly rowdy image of "insurgent country," at the expense of the music itself. This latest album is a welcome return to form... Although some cowpunk tedium persists, this disc also has several well-written, catchy tunes, including the languid, bluesy "New Moon," and "Just No Way," both of which betray a strong (and welcome!) Stones-y streak in the current Wacos lineup. I still can't make up my mind whether Jon Langford is a "distinctive" performer, or if he just plain bugs me, but I was swept along by a couple of his tunes, particularly "I'm A Ghost," which has a nice chorus, amid the deceptively Country Top 40-ish fiddles and pedal steel. A lot of their lyrics and musical motifs are still simply too blunt, and I prefer their slower tunes, but this is a pretty solid album. Less hurried, aggro and simplistic than other WacoBro efforts. Definitely worth checking out!

I love the Waco Brothers. They are just some great, no frills rock and roll. I also love WACO WORLD and ELECTRIC WACO CHAIR. I know a lot of "purists" love the older discs. I dig those too but these newer cds have better songs and the better production does their music justice. Big thumbs up. I feel lucky to know their music. Am I gushing enough for you?

I got interested in the Waco Brothers strangely enough through my love of Jesus Jones. ...I never have heard mention of the fantastic musicionship of bassist Alan Doughty, also in Jesus Jones. This cd is great, possibly their best to date. As you listen to this great cd turn up the bass on your stereo and enjoy Al Jaworski I mean Alan Doughty's fantastic contribution to this band.