Former one-man-band
goes spaghetti western and mariachi for 2nd album.
The debut album from
Dennis Hopper Choppers, 2008's “Chop”, was a one-man-band affair,
featuring Ben Nicholls playing drums, guitar, and organ
simultaneously. For his second album, he's gathered up some pals to
help achieve his new found sound.
The songs for this
album came together from a writing session in the South of Spain, in
the heartlands of where all the classic Sergio Leone spaghetti
westerns were filmed. And it's the soundtracks of those movies that
pervade the feel of this whole album. The scene is set from the
opening track “Good To Me” with its plaintive Tijuana trumpet and
strings intro. Then there's the gunshot drums and reverbed tambourine
of “Girl Walked Out Of Town”.
Nicholls' voice
alternates between melodramatic Scott Walker croon, and weighty
Johnny Cash-style storytelling. He has a nice line in melancholia
too, best displayed over the baritone guitar twang backing of “Long
Trip Home”, and the choir backed “Blue”. “Razor Gang”
breaks the mould and veers away into a more dramatic Nick Cave
territory.
There seems to be a
resurgence of interest in all things spaghetti western at the moment.
The forthcoming Dangermouse project “Rome” hits the shops soon
too. This album would bookend it nicely. Darkly brooding mariachi
vibes seen through a prism of London savviness.
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