There's usually a little adlib type prelude to a review on my part but, as it is the season to get falling down drunk, I must not be wasteful with my words. The Wishbones hail from Plymouth and are soon to release a full-length debut album. In the meantime, we can turn our attention to their recently released EP. The cover art doesn't give much away but that can be forgiven as the music is rather good. You can't judge a book by its cover after all!
"Watching Lies" builds nicely from patient bluegrass beginnings into something altogether more sinister. Lead singer Sam's vocals are driven by political fury, and the band come off sounding like Bad Brains if they had traded their Rastafarian roots for the Devonshire ports. Not a bad start! There's yet more measured build-up on "More to Give", while definite reggae traces can also be detected on "Take Hold". The latter is arguably the strongest track on the EP thus far with its crawling bassline establishing the foundations of the song. "Fallen Ground" brings the EP to its end and I'm pleased to say that the best has been kept to the last. On paper, a song led by bass and banjo is not a recipe for a good song. Tell that to these guys. A terrific finale.
This band have clear issues with the UK government and the way the economy is going so it's unlikely they'll run out of ammunition for their songs anytime soon. It will be interesting to hear the forthcoming album from The Wishbones. Watch this space!