What with Michael Timmons’ day to day job as a ‘go to record producer’ it’s no wonder it’s over 5 years since Cowboy Junkies last album of new material; although their covers album RECOLLECTIONS was pretty damn good in every which way; but at RMHQ it’s ‘their songs’ we crave like a crack addict.
So it was with baited breath and a big mug of coffee that I tentatively pressed ‘play’ on the office Hi-Fi; as the Timmons siblings are more than capable of throwing us a curve ball … with great relief opening song What I Lost is as deep, dark and beautiful as any fan could hope for, with Margo’s stunning and distinctive voice as cool as ever, while Michael’s guitar playing swoops and soars with additional rumbling from the top end of the fret board unlike any of the Guitar Gods on the road today.
With that in mind; the opening to Track #2 Flood, is almost psychedelic …. even Gilmouresque; and continues throughout while Ms Timmons remains front and centre apparantly oblivious to the ‘wall of sound’ her brother is creating behind her.
While I can’t say I’ve liked every Cowboy Junkies album; like you can’t like every Neil Young album, as both are contrary at times; ‘never making the same album twice’ …. which is actually a good thing; and Such Ferocious Beauty is a perfect moniker for this particular bundle of songs, with the slow and acoustic Canadian Gothic song Hell Is Real being juxtaposed between the punchy Shadows 2; about the Timmins’s father falling deeper and deeper under the spell of dementia; and Circe and Penelope with it’s haunting harmonica and rustic acoustic guitars; which is one of their few songs this century that sounds anything like Trinity Sessions; but the addition of a cello halfway through takes it into a whole new stratosphere.
Even after four plays now; this album is still throwing up surprises; possibly because while I’ve been digesting one song it’s meant I haven’t always been listening intently to what follows; which is why the intense and simmering story in Throw a Match has just taken me by such surprise …. was it there this morning?
It must have been, but I couldn’t remember it from the first three plays.
Weird, I know … but that’s the Cowboy Junkies for you.
Tucked away in the middle is a very important song in the Cowboy Junkies canon of work; and that’s Knives. As intense and complex as you’d expect; but here the addition of a violin finds the band setting sail to unchartered territory …. and I love it.
There’s an all encompassing darkness, and even ‘fear’ (courtesy of some scary guitar playing!) to Mike Tyson (Here It Comes) but the sensitive way Margo delivers the story makes this a full on contender for being my Favourite Song; but the staggeringly beautiful Blue Skies with its birdsong opening and tender acoustic guitar accompaniment just about edges it out of that first place.
Yet, again there is another song here that has just unravelled and took my breath away; so I suppose I have to make Hard To Build. Easy To Break its equal and therefore a joint Favourite Song.
There are highs and lows here, darkness and light too and the three multi-talented Timmins siblings alongside lifelong friend Alan Anton are still pushing boundaries all the while; but you always know they will never over step the mark in the name of experimentation. (Rocking Magpie)
Vibes is now back to normal from Monday 10th August. While I catch up with things, there will only one post per day, the first post will be the latest Box Of Vibes.
I am going to look into forums to move maybe this site and but definitely private vibes to in the future.
We closed for a week to stop the spikes in visits to the site, from bots. Another blogger told me this works so thought I would give it a go.
Vibes will close in future for two weeks at Christmas and if this works with the bots we will revert to private over the Christmas period. Will make a post in December saying the dates we are closed from and to.
In 2027 we will close during July and August, makes sense with holidays. And again if my experiment with stopping the bots works, it will again revert to private. But we might have moved to a forum by then. I think vibes private club will go to a forum for sure, Vibes it's self, time will tell as they say. To be honest I think Vibes Private Club will move to a forum, but Vibes will stay on Google or another blog provider, will take another look at alternatives.
Also there will be no more Flac or wav posted on Vibes, you want them you will have to be invited to Vibes Private Club. Vibes will now only post 320 or post in lower mp3 bit rate. Comment on a regular basis is the way to get an invite there. I have a short list of names and once I have 20 again, I will make a post, but you need to have a Google account, sorry but there is no way around this, Google rules. But if it move to a forum then Google accounts won't be required and can have many more members than Google allows. If try to keep you updated in future posts.
Cheers and welcome back one and all!!
Reb
We are getting bots attacking the site, another blogger told me a trick he uses to stop them.
So I am going to give it a go starting tomorrow Monday, I will turn the blog private for a week, and will do same at Christmas this year so there won't be any posts either.
I am thinking of moving to a forum site in the future anyway and will try them out with the private Vibes site first and if I like the results then the same will happen to the main site.
SO FROM TOMORROW (MONDAY) WE WILL BE A PRIVATE SITE FOR A WEEK.
Don't worry we'll be back to normal on Monday the 10th. This is just to let you know what is happening.
Reb
Hi all,
Things have not gone as expected, this break was not planned at all, something just happened and we need to act on it, things with my in-laws.
Still have no idea when we will be back at home and I can start posting again. Maybe by next weekend, I just don't know and with only the phone, I am sort of stuck.
Well the site is going nowhere, Concha is taking a break from the site as well and not at home. Andy will be leaving on vacation very soon.
So I have been thinking about the site and holidays, with that in mind. Next year we will just close the blog for a couple of months during July and August. There is plenty on material in the site archives to keep you entertained, so makes sense to me, give us all a break and maybe time to make new plans for here, and home made comps. With the site closed next year then the comments will be turned off, but you can drop us an email. I will reply. There would be no re posts made if we are closed.
Enjoy your holidays this year. Hope it not too hot!!
Reb
I'm happy to thoroughly recommend the latest dispatch from Jah Wobble's ongoing musical journey, boldly going where no musician has gone before. In short, another stunningly original set of tunes. I'll do my best to describe it, but keep in mind that these folks stick as many ideas into a single song than most bands could fit into a box set retrospective. I could spend all day trying to describe the various twists and turns each song takes. I've listened to it about three times a day for the last four days and I still hear something new in each tune each time. The album has the loose, friendly, improvised, feel of a live jam session. In mood it reminds me of nothing more than a classic Alice Coltrane record. The constant is the foundation that Wobble's bass and Liebezeit's drums provide.
For most of the record they're like one instrument. Various other musicians and instruments go at it on top of them. The first four tunes have an Indian feel to them, thanks to the sitar, tabla, and wordless vocals of B Shrivastav. And as if that wasn't enough, you also have C Bell's various high end pipes skitting around and JP Rasle's low end pipes getting a word in too. JP Rasle and B Shrivastav go home before the fifth track, 'Acting the Goat' starts. They're replaced by Wobble on keyboards. C Bell takes advantage of the extra space, honking and piping all over the place. Headphones recommended for the stereo goathorns solo! The sixth and last track is a whole new direction, as Wobble, Liebezeit, and J Cadbury channel Fela Kuti with their own version of an Afro-beat rhythm. C Bell's gone home, so H Becket's trumpet takes centre stage with Wobble and C Murphy making with the keyboards when you least expect it. Another masterpiece from start to finish. (Fodderstompf)
