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| WILLARD GRANT CONSPIRACY mojave (Slow River/Ryko) Willard Grant Conspiracy’s last disc the live Weevils In The Captain’s Biscuit came out as a ltd edition cd. Three tracks that were first aired there are on this release. Then the free-floating collective that makes up the band sounded like a sinister version of early Fairport Convention backing Iggy Pop. Live the band usually remain seated reflecting the ‘living-room’ nature of the sound they are aiming for. In recording there is the same attempt to capture the ambience and spontaneity of the unrehearsed moment. Indeed the tracks on this disc are interspersed with fragments of music recorded on Dat in someone’s kitchen. Like fellow practitioners of the ‘swamp-noir’ Calexico/ Lambchop/ Lullaby of The Working Class they use folk instrumentation to play basically rock structured music that is heavily atmospheric. This also leads to them sometimes being pigeon-holed along with Freakwater and Gillian Welch in the neo-traditional genre but although there is a definite folk tinge to some of the songs the over-riding feel is more Velvet Underground than Ralph Stanley. The most compelling comparison and one which is often made is with the doomier side of Nick Cave although the hymnal melodicism of Fisher/ Austin’s songs recalls the Triffids/ Tim Rose much more.... sdb. this is an edited version of the full review which will appear in next issue of Hearsay magazine #21 |
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