Waco Brothers - New Deal

  by Denzil Watson

published: 4 / 11 / 2002

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The Waco Brothers have been ploughing their hybrid brand of country-punk since the early 90's. Their latest offering 'New Deal' is their sixth LP. Over the last eight or so years the band have built up quite a reputation for boozy full-on performances around the clubs of their native Chicago. At first listening their take on good olde C&W doesn't sound anything out of the ordinary. When the band's line-up of ex-Mekons Jon Langford on vocals and Steve Goulding (drums), Jesus Jones bassist Alan Doughty, and guitarists Dean Schlabowske (Wreck) and Mark Durante (KMFDM, Revolting Cocks) is, however, revealed, one does wonder how this raggle-taggle bunch of indie ex-pats came to turn up in the US of A walking the walk and talking the talk. Despite the band's UK connections, they remain very much an American phenomenon. Sadly little is likely to change with 'New Deal'. While bands like Cracker and Grandaddy in the past utilised a more quirky take on C&W, the Wacos more purist brand is less likely to appeal to the indie kids. Hence it's hard to see the band making too much headway in Blighty. The last time UK indie flirted full on with C&W was way back in the 80's. (remember The Men They Couldn't Hang and The Boothill Foot Tappers?). While one could be forgiven for getting the impression the Waco's would be an altogether more interesting proposition live, say in a hot sweaty Chicago club such as the SXSW rather than on disc, they make a venerable effort to breath new life into the old C&W blue print. Predictably there's plenty of slide guitars, peddle steel and fiddle playing. And lots of songs about drinking, loneliness, murder and politics. Songs like 'Poison' and 'No Heart' lambast the stick-in-the-mud small town mentality that often so prevalent in the States while the punky 'Johnson to Jones' is shot through with a thick slice of humour. Undoubtedly the album's finest moment is the snappy anti-death penalty narrative 'Blink of an Eye' - a topic also tackled on 2000's 'Electric Waco Chair'. They also do a mean bluesy 'Sticky Fingers' era Stones impression on 'New Moon' - a dead ringer for the timelessly classic 'Little Red Rooster'. They lay out their battle manifesto quite splendidly on 'AFC Song' - "There's old music on new channels, pump some new blood through the veins of cowboy hats and leather boys to stimulate its brains." If you find yourself Stateside, strap on those boots, don your Stetson and check 'em out. And be sure to ask John Langford how the folks are back in little old Leeds.

Track Listing:-

1 Poison
2 No Heart
3 In The Honky Tonk Shadows
4 Johnson To Jones
5 Blink Of An Eye
6 New Moon
7 Better Everyday
8 Just No Way
9 AFC Song
10 New Deal Blues
11 I'm A Ghost
12 The Lie

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