On to the third album from English eccentric Stuart Turner. This time he has acquired a band and set about filling out his anguished urban blues with steam driven power but those gruff, strained vocals (like Billy Childish doing Beefheart) remain centre stage.
Fortunately, nothing has been lost of the primal force that drives these dark, discontented songs forward and little in the way of sugar coating has been added by the additional musicians. From the growling, howling “If You Say I am the Devil The Devil I Will Be” to the raw bump and grind of “London”, it is a running battle against the demons that haunt Mr Turner and, even on relatively upbeat songs like “South Sea Blues”, you can sense that the truth is that the world has truly gone to the dogs.
I take comfort in oddball releases like this. Nothing is a straight line here so it will probably take a few listens to make sense of this album and if your musical frame of reference is limited to the X Factor then “Gin & Bitters” will probably scare the shit out of you. By no means an easy listen, this album nonetheless resonates of reality and you’ll be glad you made the journey through the shadows in Mr Turner’s mind.