Stories. Since time began, stories have been passed down from generation to generation in words and song. Judging from the songs on this album from Schnitzel, they are the children of the decaying 20th century. Definitely on the dark side of Americana, this album gives us 9 neat snapshots of life.
"Sandston Girl" tells us a story of the trauma of small town life and expresses the notion that you never get better than your home town. If you want a song on the dysfunctional family unit, "Caroline" fits the bill. Jim O'Brien's plaintive vocals bring the song to life painting a picture of despair and confusion. "Freelancer" is more upbeat both in tempo and in attitude. Religion lets us all down in the bluegrass flavoured "I Got the Bible" but it is all we get to believe in. A more conventional country music topic is tackled in "Saying It Don't Make It So" - no matter what he has done, the prodigal son can always return home. It seems like the sort of music that someone like Woody Guthrie would have produced if he had been brought up on a diet of soap operas and reality television. The trivialities of life have overwhelmed us and all we have left is the somewhat vague hope of redemption.
Bluesbunny appreciates a wry sense of humour and we get that in abundance with the songs on this album. The subjects of many of the songs on this album may be bleak but Schnitzel manage to use that wry humour to infuse hope into that dark, twisted nightmare that we call life. You can't ask for much more than that. Available from CD Baby