DUBL HANDI - MORNING IN A NEW MACHINE
2015 - Self Released
Just two albums into their career and this is the second absolutely sensational recording that Dubl Handi have released! I still play their first, 'Up Like the Clouds,' on occasions', having raved over it in my 2013 review on this website. They took their name from an old washboard manufacturer, something that ensures their place as 'old timey' music vendors! Not too many artists who intend developing into a modern rock band will have considered such a name!
Their talents are such that they are able to stay true to the old time music tradition and yet bring a little modernity to the songs and instrumentals without losing any of the original atmospheres. The duo consists of Brian Geltner who produced the album and also plays drums and all percussion as well as mellotron, marxophone, washboard, electric guitar and harmony vocals whilst Hilary Hawke plays banjo and all lead vocals. To supplement their sound they brought in Ernie Vega on guitar and vocals, Jon Ladeau plays guitar, Sam Kulik, trombone and Jonny Lam adds pedal steel guitar, although none of those additions are over used, serving to just add a little modern colour ensuring the integrity of the originals is kept intact. The atmosphere they create on the recording thanks to the tremendous arrangements and the all round talents on offer often has that old time spookiness and in some cases actually adds to the power of the songs. Of course you could expect no less from the core duo, both having talents that are perfectly suited to the music, in Brian's case his extraordinary grasp of old timey and his multi instrumental talents and in Hilary's case her equally extraordinary banjo playing gifts and her wondrous voice that seems to lift the old lyrics and bring an often overwhelming feminism to the old timey genre.
I can say with absolute honesty that there is nothing on this twelve song album that I don't love. As I intimated earlier some of these songs could well be the defining versions. The early Dock Boggs recordings were in part responsible for getting me into 'eerie old hillbilly/blues' music many years ago and I will always love that raw spookiness. Despite Dubl Handi's Red Rocking Chair being the polar opposite to Docks version, with it's haunting warmth contrasting with Docks almost unbelievably raw and eerie version, that is exactly what makes this astonishing album so addictive. It is the contrasts with the originals that still ensure those originals are easily recognizable and perhaps most importantly, their integrity is kept as intact as on those recordings of long ago.
There are three excellent instrumentals, each being more than worthy of inclusion on this tremendous album that also includes nine vocal tracks. The album opens with an incredibly haunting rendering of the classic old song, Cindy, with Hilary's lovely vocal, banjo, percussion and dramatic harmonic chorus with a trombone in the background adding power and a fullness that the original missed out on! Their reading of Cumberland Gap, is a tremendous version of the old classic with Hilary's terrific vocal, banjo, trombone, percussion and all the drive of classic old timey music. As with several of the songs on the album this version, because of the original arrangement, could well become known as the defining version. They supply a real 'hillbilly' rendition of Ida Red, another great classic but as with all of the songs on the album it is given their own slant and includes percussion, banjo and a sweet sounding flute. With the excellent harmonies, that flute, if that's what it is, imbues the song with a lovely open sound whilst Hilary's gorgeous 'old timey' vocal contrasts beautifully. It is difficult to know how, with everything in the studio at their disposal, this song in particular could have been improved upon. No Sleep provides a nice contrast with what has gone before with the acoustic guitar and Hilary's lovely vocal supported by restrained banjo and percussion and various background effects that ensure any listener will struggle to pigeon hole the song either in terms of age or style, although at times it has a strange spooky fairground feel. The Train That Carried My Girl From Town is another great old timey classic that has been given their tremendous modern update, but one that also manages to stay true to the old timey genre. It includes some slashing slide guitar that propells the song, with Brian's lead and Hilary's harmonies lifting the song to the peak of the many recorded versions.
As on their debut album Dubl Handi have achieved the perfect blend of faithfulness to the originals with their own highly original treatment that drags the songs into the twenty first century whilst still retaining, perhaps even increasing, the power of these old songs. The originals have, for decades, had little more than a cult following. I'm not suggesting that will change any time soon but if more people can hear Dubl Handi's albums the size of that cult will, without a shadow of doubt, increase exponentially. A great album that will figure in many years end lists and certainly in mine.
http://dublhandi.bandcamp.com/
Just two albums into their career and this is the second absolutely sensational recording that Dubl Handi have released! I still play their first, 'Up Like the Clouds,' on occasions', having raved over it in my 2013 review on this website. They took their name from an old washboard manufacturer, something that ensures their place as 'old timey' music vendors! Not too many artists who intend developing into a modern rock band will have considered such a name!
Their talents are such that they are able to stay true to the old time music tradition and yet bring a little modernity to the songs and instrumentals without losing any of the original atmospheres. The duo consists of Brian Geltner who produced the album and also plays drums and all percussion as well as mellotron, marxophone, washboard, electric guitar and harmony vocals whilst Hilary Hawke plays banjo and all lead vocals. To supplement their sound they brought in Ernie Vega on guitar and vocals, Jon Ladeau plays guitar, Sam Kulik, trombone and Jonny Lam adds pedal steel guitar, although none of those additions are over used, serving to just add a little modern colour ensuring the integrity of the originals is kept intact. The atmosphere they create on the recording thanks to the tremendous arrangements and the all round talents on offer often has that old time spookiness and in some cases actually adds to the power of the songs. Of course you could expect no less from the core duo, both having talents that are perfectly suited to the music, in Brian's case his extraordinary grasp of old timey and his multi instrumental talents and in Hilary's case her equally extraordinary banjo playing gifts and her wondrous voice that seems to lift the old lyrics and bring an often overwhelming feminism to the old timey genre.
I can say with absolute honesty that there is nothing on this twelve song album that I don't love. As I intimated earlier some of these songs could well be the defining versions. The early Dock Boggs recordings were in part responsible for getting me into 'eerie old hillbilly/blues' music many years ago and I will always love that raw spookiness. Despite Dubl Handi's Red Rocking Chair being the polar opposite to Docks version, with it's haunting warmth contrasting with Docks almost unbelievably raw and eerie version, that is exactly what makes this astonishing album so addictive. It is the contrasts with the originals that still ensure those originals are easily recognizable and perhaps most importantly, their integrity is kept as intact as on those recordings of long ago.
There are three excellent instrumentals, each being more than worthy of inclusion on this tremendous album that also includes nine vocal tracks. The album opens with an incredibly haunting rendering of the classic old song, Cindy, with Hilary's lovely vocal, banjo, percussion and dramatic harmonic chorus with a trombone in the background adding power and a fullness that the original missed out on! Their reading of Cumberland Gap, is a tremendous version of the old classic with Hilary's terrific vocal, banjo, trombone, percussion and all the drive of classic old timey music. As with several of the songs on the album this version, because of the original arrangement, could well become known as the defining version. They supply a real 'hillbilly' rendition of Ida Red, another great classic but as with all of the songs on the album it is given their own slant and includes percussion, banjo and a sweet sounding flute. With the excellent harmonies, that flute, if that's what it is, imbues the song with a lovely open sound whilst Hilary's gorgeous 'old timey' vocal contrasts beautifully. It is difficult to know how, with everything in the studio at their disposal, this song in particular could have been improved upon. No Sleep provides a nice contrast with what has gone before with the acoustic guitar and Hilary's lovely vocal supported by restrained banjo and percussion and various background effects that ensure any listener will struggle to pigeon hole the song either in terms of age or style, although at times it has a strange spooky fairground feel. The Train That Carried My Girl From Town is another great old timey classic that has been given their tremendous modern update, but one that also manages to stay true to the old timey genre. It includes some slashing slide guitar that propells the song, with Brian's lead and Hilary's harmonies lifting the song to the peak of the many recorded versions.
As on their debut album Dubl Handi have achieved the perfect blend of faithfulness to the originals with their own highly original treatment that drags the songs into the twenty first century whilst still retaining, perhaps even increasing, the power of these old songs. The originals have, for decades, had little more than a cult following. I'm not suggesting that will change any time soon but if more people can hear Dubl Handi's albums the size of that cult will, without a shadow of doubt, increase exponentially. A great album that will figure in many years end lists and certainly in mine.
http://dublhandi.bandcamp.com/