In these days of the relentless pursuit of fame through music, you don't expect that the likes of The Dad Horse Experience would even exist. But they do and we should all be thankful for that.
The music is a quirky concoction. A kazoo is normally only found within the confines of the twee pop genre but it clearly has found a new home here providing a neat counterpoint to the simple banjo accompaniment and strained, almost tortured vocals. Tales of redemption - "Gates of Heaven" was a particular favourite - abound in the gospel flavoured songs and it has to be said that badness, misbehaviour and evil doings have rarely sounded so appealing. You'll remember spaghetti westerns from the late sixties and early seventies. Well, they were apparently very popular in Germany (and still are judging from the ones in my DVD collection) and I could just see this offbeat collection of songs making a really great soundtrack. In fact, some of the songs would make a great starting point for a movie script. They were just made for each other.
I was distinctly impressed when I first heard this album. You get jaded hearing the same old musical moves getting dragged out time and time again. Not with this album however. Maybe it is a European thing. Quirky in this country means a grande dame like Morrissey but over on the continent, they really pull out the stops and give us something truly unique. The album is a compelling listen nonetheless and it might be some time before you hear anything quite like this again. Loved it.