Slobberbone
Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today
New West
Slobberbone are a four-piece alternative country rock combo from Denton, Texas who put the emphasis on rock. Combining the thrash of Neil Young and Crazy Horse with a bit of Bottle Rockets twang, the band also pays tribute to heroes like the Replacements and the Pogues on this, their third album.
Singer/guitarist Brent Best’s gruff vocals add character to numbers like the opening fiddle and mandolin-tinged “Meltdown” as he sings “Hey, baby, it’s the end of the world, I will see you around.” Best’s vocals have considerably less character on the song the band probably intended to be the record’s centerpiece – the dull, seemingly endless, power-guitar-driven “Josephine.”
Slobberbone’s ode to the Replacements, “Placemat Blues” is the strongest song here, and ultimately begs the question, “If you can do that, why do anything else?” With saxophone and trumpet honking along to the backbeat, Slobberbone approximates the ragged roar and roll of Pleased to Meet Me-era ‘Mats. And the band puts together a pretty good Pogues impression on the album-closing banjo-and-accordion number “Pinball Song.” It’s actually the second song on the record on which Best uses the words “drunk tank” in true Shane MacGowan style.
It may not make you want to give Slobberbone’s CD another spin, but this music may send you digging into your record collection for some lost gems.
New West Records, 435 N. Martel, Los Angeles, CA 90036; http://www.newwestrecords.com
