Can music be a reflection of society or indeed of its woes? Perhaps, as a return to basics seems to be the plan for Colchester fiddle duo Sons of Joy. Made up of Daniel Merrill (of the Dead Rat Orchestra) and Matthew Simpkins (of the redoubtable Rev. Simpkins and the Phantom Notes), this fiddle duo play straight from the deep dark recesses of their collective heart.
Little surprise then that gospel and folklore feature strongly in their songs as they bypass the perils of Americana for a musical journey through the traditional to Lou Reed's "Jesus" in that time honoured search for redemption with a floor stomping version of "Old Time Religion" easily providing proof of the sincerity of their intentions.
On the downside is the miserable sound quality that really hampers enjoyment of this duo's music. I'm all in favour of authenticity – especially in these days of autotuned perfection – but I've heard better sounding third generation bootlegs. I don't suppose commercial success was the aim here but would have it have been too much of an artistic compromise to record these songs properly? It seems that it was.