May 1, 2008
Austinist Show Preview: Leatherbag @ Emo's
Those already familiar with Leatherbag's previous effort, Nowhere Left to Run might be surprised upon first listen to Love & Harm: the alt-country and folk tunes on the former oozed more Dylan than Reed, which seems to be a home base of sorts for the latter. The same can be said of 2006's Love Me Like the Devil, with soft, quiet tunes like "Tennessee" that cut right below the cocky rock'n'roll grit that we know Randy Reynolds is capable of. In general, the transition has centered around Reynolds' movement past sentimentality and into a more vexing, complicated world.
"Jesus Come Back" and "It's Over" are the best indicators of this. No longer are we sweetly talking about our dear old guitar and some girl seated -- you guessed it, right next to me -- we're talking about the world passing by, difficult relationships, passing emotions that we can't restore no matter how hard we try ("LOL"). Rest assured, there is still a healthy side of sugar in the form of rock pastiche, but the underbelly is more tuned, more visceral, more focused.
The most refreshing thing about Reynolds' songwriting is his complete disregard for whatever everyone else seems to think is hip musically. His songs are both familiar and shockingly fresh thanks to this happy ignorance. The running theme is a love affair blessed between Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Buddy Holly and the Kinks ... but Reynolds' unique approach and modern spit-polish makes all of these comparisons to older stuff moot. You'll never spend a moment feeling time-warped with these songs, and throughout the record it will become clearer just how much talent festers inside them. There is no doubt Randy Reynolds will be a huge force within the Austin music community sooner than later, and here's to hoping that truth extends beyond our little realm.
Leatherbag MySpace
"On Down the Line" (YouTube)
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