THE HARMED BROTHERS
2017 - Fluff & Gravy Records
This is the third full length studio album by the Harmed Brothers, each one having been reviewed on this website, in fact it was only about a month ago that I reviewed an e.p/mini album on which the title track was also the first single to be released from this eagerly anticipated recording. So was it worth the wait? Without any shadow of doubt it was more than worth it! This tremendous recording has a different feel to their previous work as you would expect from two such talented 'alt. country singer songwriters' who are developing their music rather than being content in just standing still, despite the fact that previous recordings worked beautifully.
Their lineup has changed considerably over the last few years but now they seem to have solidified into the duo of band originators Ray Vietti on acoustic guitar and vocals and Alex Salcido who plays banjo, electric guitar, piano, keyboards and vocals. They are helped out on this recording by a variety of musical friends including the talents of producer and label owner John Shepski who helped the pair fulfil their musical vision for this tremendous album.
I've always been fascinated by how musical tastes vary, with so many different types of vocalists appealing to us music fans, with some loving smoothness, others preferring a raw sound and just about everything in between. I don't think there is a band (or duo) with a pair of vocalists who are able to create the atmosphere that Ray Vietti and Alex Salcido manage, obviously a great starting point when trying to portray a song! They each bring something different to their sound with both able to portray a warmth and an edginess in equal measures with a variety of textures that help create an atmosphere that wraps itself around the listener on every song. Alongside that must be considered the often astounding quality of the songwriting. On this ten song recording, the bulk were written by Ray Vietti, who was responsible for six of the songs, one co write with Alex Salcido who also wrote two solo and the other a co write between Vietti and Zach Kilmer.
Within the broad confines of country music sub genres this is an incredibly stylistically varied album with the arrangements perfect for each song and everything bound together by these two talented vocalists on an album that always seems to have a deeply reflective atmosphere on virtually every song. Their sound has gradually become more expansive, not necessarily in terms of instrumentation, but in their musical ambitions. It would be easily understood if their songs were all new and followed this expansive thread but this recording mixes old songs with new, further extending them and producer John Shepski musically into pulling their ideas together and pursuing musical themes that may have been alien to the older compositions when they were first written. Perhaps it is this that makes the album even more original than its predecessors but I'm struggling to play any disc other than this and try though I do, I cannot find anything about this recording that is of a lesser quality. On most albums there are, at least, minor weaknesses, but whilst I wouldn't say I love everything on this recording, even the songs I'm not quite so keen on have a depth and a power that lets the listener know they can stand alone in any musical company. The work ethic, the thought, the arranging skills and probably above all, the performances set this duo apart from any peers. Even the originality, which must be terribly difficult to come up with on an 'alt. country' recording, is there for all to hear and it is not just a question of sitting down and trying to come up with a different idea; it is very much more a case of a natural development in terms of their work that just happens to be that little bit different to what anyone else has come up with in terms of textural variations, despite nothing on the album getting above mid tempo. Even on their seemingly more relaxed songs there is an often underlying dramatic intensity, even extending on some songs to a powerful grunginess but with an occasional reflective air of melancholy.
The album gets under way with Greetings from Mardi Gras, with the piano laying the foundation for this beautifully slow burning song that gradually takes on further instrumentation and builds the tension and power with Ray Vietti's incredibly dexterous, warm vocal evoking all of the drama that is wrapped up in this tremendous, sad song. The arrangement couldn't really be bettered on this unusual but quite addictive story with its powerful, deeply atmospheric lyrical nuance. A really deep chugging instrumentation drives A lovely conversation, yet another excellent song, with Ray Vietti's vocal and a variety of synth sounds that, despite my perception of the duo as a pair who at their musical roots have a strong hillbilly dynamic, is never out of place. The deep throbbing bass and guitar effects root things and it is easy to hear why this was the first single. It could cross over into various genres as well as the 'roots' music they are known for. It is followed by In the wind, one of Alex Salcido's excellent songs, with its powerful percussion and Salcido's warm atmospheric vocal enhanced by the beautiful steel guitar that soon joins in on this beautiful ballad. On A life in progress there is a powerful, intermittent 'noise' guitar with bass and percussion and a nice organ sound on a slow, moody tale of the downside of life on the road. It's an incredibly raw, expressive song with a deep heartfelt lead vocal from Ray Vietti. Final mention goes to Sunshine and elicits a question. How does this pair come up with so many great ballads that never, ever descend into blandness, always having depth, incredible power and an abundance of emotional content? The piano, bass drum, restrained percussion and vocals, with organ and banjo in the background propel the albums final tremendous song on which they share vocals and a final stamp of excellence is given to this memorable collection.
It's much too early to talk about 'albums of the year' but come Christmas time I don't think you will have to look very far down mine to find this self titled delight from 'The Harmed Brothers!'
https://www.theharmedbrothers.com/
This is the third full length studio album by the Harmed Brothers, each one having been reviewed on this website, in fact it was only about a month ago that I reviewed an e.p/mini album on which the title track was also the first single to be released from this eagerly anticipated recording. So was it worth the wait? Without any shadow of doubt it was more than worth it! This tremendous recording has a different feel to their previous work as you would expect from two such talented 'alt. country singer songwriters' who are developing their music rather than being content in just standing still, despite the fact that previous recordings worked beautifully.
Their lineup has changed considerably over the last few years but now they seem to have solidified into the duo of band originators Ray Vietti on acoustic guitar and vocals and Alex Salcido who plays banjo, electric guitar, piano, keyboards and vocals. They are helped out on this recording by a variety of musical friends including the talents of producer and label owner John Shepski who helped the pair fulfil their musical vision for this tremendous album.
I've always been fascinated by how musical tastes vary, with so many different types of vocalists appealing to us music fans, with some loving smoothness, others preferring a raw sound and just about everything in between. I don't think there is a band (or duo) with a pair of vocalists who are able to create the atmosphere that Ray Vietti and Alex Salcido manage, obviously a great starting point when trying to portray a song! They each bring something different to their sound with both able to portray a warmth and an edginess in equal measures with a variety of textures that help create an atmosphere that wraps itself around the listener on every song. Alongside that must be considered the often astounding quality of the songwriting. On this ten song recording, the bulk were written by Ray Vietti, who was responsible for six of the songs, one co write with Alex Salcido who also wrote two solo and the other a co write between Vietti and Zach Kilmer.
Within the broad confines of country music sub genres this is an incredibly stylistically varied album with the arrangements perfect for each song and everything bound together by these two talented vocalists on an album that always seems to have a deeply reflective atmosphere on virtually every song. Their sound has gradually become more expansive, not necessarily in terms of instrumentation, but in their musical ambitions. It would be easily understood if their songs were all new and followed this expansive thread but this recording mixes old songs with new, further extending them and producer John Shepski musically into pulling their ideas together and pursuing musical themes that may have been alien to the older compositions when they were first written. Perhaps it is this that makes the album even more original than its predecessors but I'm struggling to play any disc other than this and try though I do, I cannot find anything about this recording that is of a lesser quality. On most albums there are, at least, minor weaknesses, but whilst I wouldn't say I love everything on this recording, even the songs I'm not quite so keen on have a depth and a power that lets the listener know they can stand alone in any musical company. The work ethic, the thought, the arranging skills and probably above all, the performances set this duo apart from any peers. Even the originality, which must be terribly difficult to come up with on an 'alt. country' recording, is there for all to hear and it is not just a question of sitting down and trying to come up with a different idea; it is very much more a case of a natural development in terms of their work that just happens to be that little bit different to what anyone else has come up with in terms of textural variations, despite nothing on the album getting above mid tempo. Even on their seemingly more relaxed songs there is an often underlying dramatic intensity, even extending on some songs to a powerful grunginess but with an occasional reflective air of melancholy.
The album gets under way with Greetings from Mardi Gras, with the piano laying the foundation for this beautifully slow burning song that gradually takes on further instrumentation and builds the tension and power with Ray Vietti's incredibly dexterous, warm vocal evoking all of the drama that is wrapped up in this tremendous, sad song. The arrangement couldn't really be bettered on this unusual but quite addictive story with its powerful, deeply atmospheric lyrical nuance. A really deep chugging instrumentation drives A lovely conversation, yet another excellent song, with Ray Vietti's vocal and a variety of synth sounds that, despite my perception of the duo as a pair who at their musical roots have a strong hillbilly dynamic, is never out of place. The deep throbbing bass and guitar effects root things and it is easy to hear why this was the first single. It could cross over into various genres as well as the 'roots' music they are known for. It is followed by In the wind, one of Alex Salcido's excellent songs, with its powerful percussion and Salcido's warm atmospheric vocal enhanced by the beautiful steel guitar that soon joins in on this beautiful ballad. On A life in progress there is a powerful, intermittent 'noise' guitar with bass and percussion and a nice organ sound on a slow, moody tale of the downside of life on the road. It's an incredibly raw, expressive song with a deep heartfelt lead vocal from Ray Vietti. Final mention goes to Sunshine and elicits a question. How does this pair come up with so many great ballads that never, ever descend into blandness, always having depth, incredible power and an abundance of emotional content? The piano, bass drum, restrained percussion and vocals, with organ and banjo in the background propel the albums final tremendous song on which they share vocals and a final stamp of excellence is given to this memorable collection.
It's much too early to talk about 'albums of the year' but come Christmas time I don't think you will have to look very far down mine to find this self titled delight from 'The Harmed Brothers!'
https://www.theharmedbrothers.com/