Artist: The Delta Saints
Album: Bones
Bitrate: 239kbps avg
Quality: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.98.4 / -V0 / 44.100Khz
Label: Loud & Proud Records
Genre: Rock
Size: 69.44 megs
PlayTime: 0h 38min 34sec total
Rip Date: 2015-08-19
Store Date: 2015-08-07

Track List:
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01. Sometimes I Worry                3:47
02. Bones                            3:34
03. Heavy Hammer                     3:05
04. Zydeco                           3:21
05. Butte La Rose                    4:59
06. Dust                             4:35
07. My Love                          3:54
08. Into The Morning                 3:02
09. Soft Spoken                      4:10
10. Berlin                           4:07

Release Notes:
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The acclaimed Nashville band the Delta Saints returns after the critical success
of its first studio album, 2013’s Death Letter Jubilee. As its name suggests,
this group is all about interpreting the blues, and each track off its sophomore
record Bones drips sizzling blues-rock cred. As its title suggests, this album
peels away artifice to present a vision of pure American music. The bones aren’t
bare, though; the Delta Saints build on the familiar aesthetics of blues, folk,
and country to create a lush, abundant sound all their own.

“Sometimes I Worry” rolls in on a fuzzy snare and cobbles together an engagingly
hazy blues backup for Ringel’s soulful vocals. Right off the bat it’s clear
we’re not in for watered down Zeppelin-clone chamber pop; this track shows off
solid musicianship and deep feeling without diminishing either. “Bones,” the
album’s title track, brings a sophisticated, modern sensibility to its brand of
blues rock thanks in large part to Nate Kremer’s ice-cool organ in the mix. The
effect is crisp without being sterile, enhancing the individual elements and
making them into more than just empty blues/roots signifiers.

“Heavy Hammer” comes on like a standard country-tinged rocker until a searing
piano solo sweeps in and, well, hammers. “Zydeco” expands ever outward, offering
up a whirlwind tour of sounds and genres. Starting out with an unaccompanied
acoustic guitar, “Butte la Rose” is simple without being bare. Breathy,
piercing, poignant, rumbling like Satan’s hooves, this track builds to become a
clear standout on an already strong album. “Dust” distorts its chunky guitar
riff until it’s as unrecognizable as a mirage on the horizon, and its soaring,
shrieking crescendo could make a fly drop dead in midair. This track clearly
shows the White Stripes’ influence, but that’s no knock against the Delta
Saints. They take that familiar boozy production haze and make it their own.

“My Love” showcases Dylan Fitch’s intricate acoustic playing and stark,
effective lyrics the group uses to such powerful effect. The lyrics to “Into the
Morning” proclaim, “let the Devil not rejoice in the time that’s taken”, then
the song becomes a welcome slice of psychedelia, shaking off the band’s more
characteristic grit to ride in the ether. It’s no wonder the Delta Saints are
sometimes compared to jamband godfathers My Morning Jacket—a similar echo
chamber feeling pervades the work of both bands.

Effortlessly cool and rollicking at once, “Soft Spoken” slides into a raunchy
blues register as Ringel croons, “I’ll be your pusher man / I’ll be your sugar
cane.” Alternating between blues-rock sexuality and space cadet keyboard lines,
this track is a whiplash-inducing ride.

“Berlin” is a driving anthem that dissolves into a dreamy guitar confection and
closes the album. Vincent Williams’ dynamic drum work enlivens this song, making
its elegiac ending all the more powerful. The Delta Saints’ second album is warm
and inviting even as it offers up themes of dread, doubt, and emptiness. The
band is becoming even more adept at walking the line between shit-kicking roots
rock and electronic exploration. Bones shows a band comfortable in its own shoes
and confident in its ability to create innovative, roots-inspired rock ‘n’ roll.

