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Le Diamant Brut: Southern Tenant Folk Union & Gulf of Mexico
What’s the Deal: It’s always a nice surprise when a band’s MySpace doesn’t describe them accurately or obviously. When you click on the link and the page opens to reveal a designation like ‘rock’, ‘alternative’ or the oh so typical ‘indie’, a little part of you dies. But, when that left-click unravels a host of curious, unorthodox genres like ‘melodramatic popular song’, ‘Spanish pop’ and ‘tropical’ a new hope stirs within you. But, that’s not Gulf of Mexico’s most powerful weapon. No. That comes with the title. It’s something familiar and musically ambiguous. They could be emo, experimental or even gypsy hip-hop. However, this Austin quartet’s sound is somewhere in the midst of noisy alt-pop. Heavy on the guitar squeal and fuzz and easy-to-follow drowsy melody, the Gulf has a sound that would be a great fit for early nineties indie rock.
A slightly different incarnation of the group used to be known as Science, and the Gulf has strong ties to Bill Baird who contributed a little to their debut, Rooms You’ve Never Seen Before. One of the tracks off the album worth a listen is “Not So Tightly Wound,” which is flooded with sharp resonating guitars and a repetitive, familiar chorus that follows right in line with the adapting drum beat.
Something Interesting: You can check out their FOX 7 Good Day Live Music performance if you go to the station’s site and enter in the band’s name.
Other Tracks Worth Checking Out: “Dangerous Waters”
What’s the Deal: Because sometimes you just crave that pickin’ and a grinin’, old fashioned folked-out bluegrass sound full of jig-inducing, twanged-up banjo solos and spirited fiddle squeaks. They make no attempt to confuse intentions here; they are exactly what their name implies. However, it’s a little strange to see this band of six from London playing songs that could only have been cooked up deep in the Appalachians influenced by artists like the Stanley Brothers, Gillian Welch and Flatt and Scruggs. Their debut album arrived last year, and the beginning of March saw the release of their second effort, Revivals, Rituals & Union Songs. However, the album may not have been released in the U.S. yet. STFU have built a following in the British Isles, but they still have a lot of work to do in the states.
It would take a soul of considerable restraint to keep from leaping up and dancing around the room during the fast plinking banjo, Mandolin strums and infectious altogether chorus on “Never Got The Best Of Me” off the new record. Then, there’s the slow whine, twang and pluck of “Mesopotamia” that creeps up on you oh so sweetly.
Something Interesting: Among all the bluegrass and country influences listed on their MySpace page is Belle & Sebastian, which is great but doesn’t really fit. They have a double bass player and mandolin player but no drummer.
Other Tracks Worth Checking Out: “A Little Deeper” and “Sweeter Times”
Southern Tenant Folk Union Official
Southern Tenant Folk Union MySpace
