All You Need This Week....

Sorry I haven’t been posting as much. I’ve been busy lately… working on my jobby job and getting the new Hopscast ready. I’ve also been listening to the new Bob Dylan album a lot (check out the comments section under the album review for some interesting discussion).

What has helped me get through this draining week (in addition to Diet Coca-Cola and methamphetamines) has been a new album I just got: what the Toll Tells by The Two Gallants.

The band consists of only two guys, yet you’d never know it from their sound (much in the same way you don’t think of the White Stripes as a duo only). They’re music is true America, based in rock and Southern Blues. It features the outstandingly gritty singing voice of guitarist Adam Stephens and harmonies of drummer Tyson Vogel (worst rock name ever?). Amazingly, the album has only 9 songs, yet registers a full hour in total. That’s an average of over 6 ½ minutes per tune, and two pushing the 10 minute mark. Yet they’re not jamming on, its just that the songs are fairly epic in proportion. Think Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands by Bob Dylan or even Freebird by Lynyrd Skynyrd as opposed to something by Phish. The last tune in particular, “Amber Waves of Grain” is a fantastic protest song. Subtle but really powerful. However, it was the tunes “Steady Rollin’” and “Las Cruces Jail” which kick off the album that got me really hooked. They’re the most instantly accessible tracks on the album and the most fun. Though fun may not be the best description of songs that contain lyrics like “But I shot my wife today, dropped her body in the Frisco Bay” and “Well I spent last night in a Las Cruces Jail. Rain and Hail. Born To Fail. Nobody Come for To Go My Bail”

Check ‘em out: http://www.twogallants.com/

Overall Hops Rating: 4.0 (out of 5)
My Favorite Tracks (with Mp3 links!): Steady Rollin’, Las Cruces Jail and Amber Waves of Grain
Where to Listen: While drinking beers and kicking ass.
Why to buy: It’s rocking American Blues Rock, featuring some real anthems

Why not to buy: Looking for a more electric sound, lose interest in songs quickly; prefer singers who don’t have gritty voices.

And as a bonus here their video of “Steady Rollin’”