Trent Miller and the Skeleton Jive - Cerberus
by Mark Rowland
published: 10 / 11 / 2009

Label:
Hangman Records
Format: CD
intro
Gothic-in-tone Americana on first-rate debut album from London-based act, Trent Miller and the Skeleton Jive
Despite having a slightly a rubbish name, Trent Miller and the Skeleton Jive evoke the sounds of several decades of raw, direct music. There is a gothic tinge to Miller’s songs, with frequent references to hanging, fires, demons and blood, but there is a sweetness to many of his melodies that softens the blow. On record at least, the Skeleton Jive don’t really exist – this is all Miller, his guitar, vocals and harmonica. Miller’s vocal delivery is something like a cross between Bob Dylan, and Johnny Cash – shaky, low and nasal. He is also frequently compared to Guy Kyser from Paisley underground band Thin White Rope, and has been praised by TWR’s ML Compton. Occasionally, he brings 'Nebraska' era Springsteen to mind. He is not the most technically gifted of singers, but his voice is one of his strengths, lending his songs an emotional punch to go with his vivid imagery. The highlights of the album are the points where Miller most successfully marries his dark poetry with a sweet and effecting melody, and thankfully, those moments are frequent. ‘Secret Fires’, ‘Coyote’, ‘Bones of Milk’, ‘Little Queen of Hearts’, ‘Scream Your Last Scream’, ‘Once under the Dusty Hills’ and ‘Calvary Mountains; all have immediate and strangely uplifting melodies considering the gothic subject matter, but ‘Tombstone Eyes’ wins outright with its Cash-style melodic guitar line to match its vocal hooks.
Track Listing:-
1 Dark River2 Secret Fires
3 Coyote
4 Bones of Milk
5 Hangman Shore
6 Callous Heart
7 Little Queen of Hearts
8 Scream Your Last Scream
9 Tombstone Eyes
10 Once Upon the Dusty Hills
11 Moon Bog Party
12 Calvary Mountains
13 Hellbound Train
14 Six Feet Under
most viewed articles
current edition
Deb Googe and Cara Tivey - InterviewJack Frost - As Seen on TV
Nils Petter Molvaer - El Molino, Barcelona, 24/4/2025
John McKay - Interview
Editorial - July 2025
Robert Forster - Interview
When Rivers Meet - Waterfront, Norwich, 29/5/2025
Kruder and Dofmeister - Paral-lel 62, Barcelona, 27/4/2025
Skunk Anansie - Old Market, Brighton, 16/5/2025
Yardbirds - Des Plaines Theater, Des Plaines, 18/4/2025
most viewed reviews
current edition
John McKay - Sixes and #SevensDavey Woodward - Mumbo in the Jumbo
Vultures - Liz Kershaw Session 16.06.88
Billy Nomates - Metalhorse
HAIM - I Quit
Peter Doolan - I Am a Tree Rooted to the Spot and a Snake Moves Around Me,in a Circle
Pulp - More
Garbage - Let All That We Imagine Be The Light
Morcheeba - Escape The Chaos
Little Simz - Lotus
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart