Once Upon A Time In The West

About

Like <i>Blood Meridian</i>–era Cormac McCarthy, The White Buffalo’s Jake Smith has a knack for narratives based in the darker mythos of Old West Americana, where the good guys seldom win and the antiheroes often prosper. “Ballad of a Deadman” is a smoldering opener that plays like a cowboy’s funeral march. He immediately picks up the pace with the title track, which is punctuated by adroit, acoustic flatpicking recalling the late Clarence White and barn-burning banjo picking, over which Smith’s shaky voice can barely contain his urgent sentiments. “BB Guns and Dirtbikes” detours into an autobiographical country-rocker; Smith’s lyrics bring listeners into the mindset of a pre-teenaged kid’s delinquent adventures in heartland suburbia. The standout tune “The Witch” fuses rootsy bluegrass instrumentation with haunting theremin tones and sublime horn arrangements.

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

Start your shelf to read the full take →