The Hanging Stars - The House On The Hill

(This review first appeared in issue 51 of Shindig! magazine)

Anyone bemoaning the lack of recent releases by The Coral will take comfort from this three tracker by London's loose rootsy collective. 'House On The Hill' is a murder ballad which takes the Hoylake boys' folk-rock template and adds lush vocal harmonies and a twangy surf-guitar solo by guest Christof Certik. B-side 'Endlessly Aimless' has more of a fey indie feel, its themes of loneliness and longing given a psychedelic twist by the addition of Mellotron strings.

Rounding things off is a cover of The Gun Club's 'Mother Of Earth'. A live favourite, it's slightly faster than the original but maintains the tumbleweed country eeriness via pedal steel and baritone vocals. A slice of dark Americana at odds with the jangle of the previous tracks though no less satisfying. With three different styles showcased, it'll be interesting to see which wins out when their debut LP follows next year.

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San Antonio Kid - San Antonio Kid

Swabian tumbleweed and twang!

With the horrendous battle for the White House currently raging, perhaps it's time to remind ourselves that the USA is not all bad. It has after all given us so much in cultural terms. And especially where music is concerned. The broad umbrella widely known as Americana has taken hold everywhere. In the Swabian town of Augsburg, Germany lives a quartet of urban cowboys who go by the collective name of San Antonio Kid, their name taken from a 1941 cult western movie.

Their self titled eight track album re-imagines Ennio Morricone's paeans to wide-open deserts but via a traditional guitar band set-up. Kind of like a surf band that's got sick of the ocean and re-located 500 miles inland. It's a gem of an album for anyone who loves a bit of Lee Hazelwood, Spindrift or Alt-country in general. On top of that it may contain the best whistling solo ever committed to tape (or Pro-Tools for that matter!) on 'Strangers', a track that would have made the Kill Bill soundtrack had they got round to recording it fifteen years ago.

Anyway it's not just me that digs 'em. Their brand of tumbleweed twang has garnered them recent tours with like-minded Brits The Hanging Stars. Check out this album and watch out for them bursting through a saloon door near you soon!

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