Back in the mid to late 90s, I was bored of rock. I never fancied “rollin’ rollin’ rollin’” with Fred Durst and the lads and grunge had always left me cold.
So I did what any geek who’s searching for new music does and rummaged. I found Americana bands like Whiskeytown and Uncle Tupelo.
And if ever there was a band with a direct lineage to those acts it is Brown Horse, in fact, the only surprise is that, unlike those Uncut Magazine staples of yesteryear, they are not from the middle of America, but rather the east of England.
In “Stealing Horses”, there’s a slow, lugubrious opening, but like everything here, it’s deceptive and worms its way in. There’s a magic in the way the Accordion of Rowan Brayham melds with Patrick Turner’s voice.
Beyond that, there’s a sadness in the words.
And there’s a genuinely wonderful skill in the way they play. The title track is fragile, almost haunting. It’s poetic too. Full of vivid imagery which suggests that there’s real feeling in these songs.
When all is said and done, however. These are a genuinely marvellous collection of tracks. “Shoot Back” is typical of it. Its chorus is beguiling, and the thought this is a soundtrack to some film that’s being played out of view is never too far away, but it is front and centre in “Everlasting” where the piano and the harmony vocals from Phoebe Troup underpin the whole thing.
“Bloodstain” is more strident, in your face a little more, moving above the parapet, and the electric guitar is reminiscent, perhaps of MV faves Bohannons, and the dark tinges are right through the chorus.
There are standout moments pretty much everywhere you look here, but the best might just be “Paul Gilley”, a commemoration of the songwriter behind “I’m So Lonesome I Can Cry”, but more than that it draws inspiration from him too. A beautiful song, it’s as good as this sort of music will ever get.
The beauty in this really is mercurial, but you can’t listen to the likes of “Sunfisher” without knowing you are listening to something special. The fiddle work alone tells you that, while fans of the Jayhawks could do a lot worse than heading straight for “Silver Bullet”. The guitar solos are worth it and the way they toss out hooks like they aren’t a big deal is stunning.
“Outtakes” is another that’s notable for its use of Accordion, and the way Brown Horse uses the instrument is right up there with the way that Counting Crows do. It is sensational, frankly.
And “sensational” is an epithet that could cheerfully be handed to the rest of “Reservoir” too.
At its heart, it is a folk record, as the almost confessional-sounding “Called Away” neatly proves, and it poses the simple question at the end: “Did you ever get the feeling like you left something behind” and that suggestion of always searching for something is prevalent throughout “Reservoir” like some golden thread.
Keep in mind too, that this is just their debut album and the inescapable conclusion is that the future of Americana might be a band from Norfolk.
Figure that one out. In fact, don’t bother. Just listen to “Reservoir” instead. It’s as good as it gets.
Rating 9.5/10
