REVIEW: LONESOME SHACK – THE SWITCHER (2016)

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Bernard feels challenged by the brand new Lonesome Shack record

I already have some Lonesome Shack in my CD collection (the last album ‘More Primitive’), which I think I discovered via an Amazon recommendation. It’s not easy music to categorise as they have a pretty unique sound. It is blues music but nothing like you’d expect. I have some Otis Taylor in my collection as well and he invented the term ‘Trance Blues’ to cover his music and I think this best applies to Lonesome Shack as well. It’s definitely not blues as you know it, with not a 12 bar in sight. It’s fairly low key, with repeated guitar riffs over a rolling rhythm section. Main man Ben Todd also has a fairly unique vocal style, with a reverb quality making his singing sound a bit distant. It’s certainly distinctive and suits the music well.

‘To The Floor’ opens in typical Lonesome Shack style and it’s followed by the title track, which is more rooted in the blues than the track before it. ‘Diamond Man’ is good with the opening part of just Todd’s voice and guitar sounding great. Of the remaining tracks (14 on the album in total), the stand-outs are ‘Chemicals’, ‘Sugar Farm’. ‘Mushin Dog’ and the atmospheric album closer ‘Blood’.

I like albums that challenge the listener and perhaps offer something different to listen to, whilst still essentially playing guitar, drums and bass. Lonesome Shack have developed their own sound and for something that is a bit easier on the ear than the usual banging and crashing I listen to, I find I turn to their music on a regular basis.

7/10

 

 

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