Monday, May 6, 2013

Music Review - Ten Cent Howl

Seems every trumped up pop-band playing acoustically with a little bit of banjo or mandolin are calling themselves Americana these days. Ten Cent Howl is an exception to this rule. These folks are rocking hard, but the feel is definitely what Americana is all about. Like the Osmonds, Ten Cent Howl is a little bit country and a little bit Rock-n-Roll.

Continuing to push their latest music independently, Ten Cent Howl has brought another 11 songs to the modern vision of American splendor in a modern world. The first eleven songs featured in the widget on their home page represent their "new album". What a modern world we live in, indeed.

With brooding vocals to match the dark chord strumming of an acoustic guitar, TCH is driven by the melodies of the words and the music, where the attention to detail shines through. A steady bass carries that low-end and ties in the drums and percussion. These two pieces form a pocket the guitar and vocals feel free to build on. Add to that a number of extra instruments brought in to round out the sound and you have a finely played album.

Kicking off with "Bourbon Sea", this collection of songs is often deceivingly upbeat. That is, until you listen to the lyrics. Each song has a fecundity of ennui as experienced in a straight forward life. The protagonists found in these songs are striving for a sense of perfection without accepting that perfection is so far away. This is re-enforced in songs like "End of the World" and "Downtime". These are songs that remind us of love lost, love never tried for, and the feeling of the open road, the back-handed compliment it makes of being for everyone and utterly lonely all at once. That's, what Americana should be. That's what Ten Cent Howl is.

Where to find them:

RIYL: The Dirty River Boys, John Fogerty, Johnny Cash>/p>