Two Gallants - Two Gallants

  by Chris O'Toole

published: 19 / 10 / 2007

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Two Gallants are a faux Americana band from the Bay Area of America and make their unique sound by mixing up punk, rockabilly and blues. Their lyrics are stuffed with personal regret and historical observation, taking handfuls of the past and moulding into something for the present. This is their third album, with Adam Stephens again taking to the guitar and Tyson Vogel on drums. This self-titled album is not as fast paced as the proceeding ‘For Who the Toll Tells’, instead following more in the vein of ‘The Scenery of Farewell’, the tour EP released earlier this year. It is quiet, more of a morning after than a night before record. But it does have everything which makes the band endearing and sickly all at once – it is a black and white picture of a dimly remembered love from long ago, easily replaced but not as quickly forgotten. The fantastic alchemy between the pair also remains, having spent what seems like the best part of their lives on the road together Vogel and Stephens know each other inside out and are sharp and intuitive. This is evident from the opening piece, ‘The Deader’. The song has a worldly swagger but is deeply insecure all the same – in possession of a woozy, lurching charm. The lyrics, sometimes oblique, also heartfelt, are given double emphasis for the passion they are sung with. To a large extent it is Stephen’s vocal delivery which has carried the band as far as this modest pedestal. While the drum work of Vogel is competent, if a little dated, it is Stephens who is the real talent here, propelling his diminutive frame to soaring, wrought heights. ‘Miss Meri’ is a further ode to Wild West gals in gingham skirts, seen through the haze of fine whiskey; a mirage of beauty seen in the distance and increasingly beautiful as you draw closer – right up until the final step. As is their wont Two Gallants play country guitar with a rock back bone here – playing with melody and tune, but also gusto and a sense of purpose. These are taught, well formed pieces, devoid of the sanguine, languid charm that typifies the blues genre as a whole – the pain recorded here is fresh, or at least well remembered. ‘The Hand That Held Me Down’ cracks out the harmonica, and while is it is a welcome diversion from what could become a tiresome two piece band; it is a little to gainfully employed on this occasion. Luckily it only holds the centre ground for a few brief moments before being replaced with the playful guitar line. The songs Two Gallants have recorded and presented here are filled with yearning with a wealth of possibilities having been lost and the wounds so fresh their damage cannot be assessed. These are the thoughts you share with your closest drinking buddies, right at the end of the night, sodden with liquor with no holds barred. ‘Trembling of the Rose’ is the first slow burning ballad. The strings are pulled out of the closet and placed decoratively around the room. Fine lace and the scent of lavender; evocative of an even deeper loss than what has come before. You wonder what has happened to this morbid duo in their short lives to have filled them with such regret. Nobody can have suffered this much in such a short time, and this undermines the album a little. It does become a little heavy handed in places, as the beautiful agony is laid on as thick as possible; all curses, ghosts, sickness and longing – seemingly without respite. ‘Reflections of the Marionette’ captures exactly what attracts people to this band, however. The lyrics are quick silver sharp; the atmosphere is tense but ready to explode into choral joy at any moment. The sentiment is universal and inclusive. The track captures a freedom from denial, the returning of the light after a seemingly endless darkness – filled with righteous anger in which we can all bathe. ‘Ribbons ‘Round My Tongue’ is twice as long as it deserves, before ‘Despite What You’ve Been Told’, picks things up a little again. The picked guitar line perks up the listener’s interest before the drums enter and propel the piece forward. Here the band have all the answers, a smart teenager with a rye grin as Two Gallants smile to them themselves as the world careens past and into the distance. ‘Fly Low Carrion Crow’ and ‘My Baby’s Gone’ are the last tracks on the album. The former is a little forgettable and seemingly an afterthought. The latter seems to be fading off the end of the map and bringing the album to a damp squib of a close, before the group rouse themselves for one more rollicking chorus. Unsurprisingly the song is about a lost love from yesteryear, but it provides the group with an excuse to finally rock after such a tortured journey. Two Gallants represents a band at home with themselves. Having won the plaudits from their previous outings, they have slowed the pace, with nothing left to prove. Although the tones are mournful and leaden with regret, this is the album Two Gallants wanted to make. Eloquent and sentimental, a little too polished perhaps, but reflective of where the band have been heading these last few years. Their first steps on ‘The Throes’ were tentative, with even the band not knowing where they were headed, ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ was a group hitting their stride and looking for attention. Finally the band has come out the other side of the horrors they claim to have experienced and having seen it all, decided it was worth sharing their learning; catchy, emotive and enthralling, a charming album.

Track Listing:-

1 The Deader
2 Miss Meri
3 The Hand That Held Me Down
4 Trembling of the Rose
5 Reflections of the Marionette
6 Ribbons 'Round My Tongue
7 Despite What You've Been Told
8 Fly Low Carrion Crow
9 My Baby's Gone

Label Links:-

http://saddle-creek.com/
https://www.facebook.com/SaddleCreekRecords
http://www.last.fm/label/Saddle+Creek
https://www.youtube.com/user/SaddleCreekRecords
https://twitter.com/saddlecreek

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