Search - Gourds :: Blood of the Ram

More "music for the unwashed and well-read"

loce_the_wizard | Lilburn, GA USA | 12/03/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Try as I might to find some substantial criticism of "Blood of the Ram," I just cannot find any withering, fatal flaw to this latest madcap outpouring from these purveyors of what has sometimes been called "beergrass." (The urge to criticize wells up because I'm a Virgo and that's what we do, or so I am told.) The more I hear this latest set, the more I like this collection of odd tales and odd musical arrangements all swirling with an undercurrent of gonzo mysticism.



The Gourds have never shied away from liberally infusing their work with local color and folk wit, and why should they? It's worked magically before and does so here as well. I cannot keep from stomping about during "Lower 48"---which is sometimes a problem when I'm on the highway. This time the fellows even borrow a page from the "magic realism" literary genre Borges popularized with the mysterious escape of the criminal narrator in "Cracklins." And the weird parade of images and ideas conjured up in "Arapaho" are worth revisiting.



Yet in a way, the better the Gourds get, the harder it must be to keep up the informal, odd-ball style that makes the Gourds so good and so distinct. But they do (sort of reminds me of the Pogues progression back in the `80s.)



"Blood of the Ram" also shows that the band is not going to back away from the sometimes disturbing imagery ("a pool of blood on a superhighway") or scatological meandering that is now intertwined in the Gourds mythos. This may be more "music for the unwashed and well-read," as they have declared which might explain why more folks are not listening to some of the best tunes being cranked out by any band these days. (Of course, don't expect to hear this music on the radio!)



OK, one criticism has come to mind. That is, there is only a single song by Max Johnston on this collection. Next time, more from Max, please.

"

All that and some cracklins

gourdsFan | Texas | 01/11/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I love The Gourds and have seen them many time in concert and they are the best. That said, Blood of the Ram is not as good for me as their last few outings, but I still like it. There really aren't many(any?) other bands to compare The Gourds to, except themselves. So, Blood doesn't feel as easy or as generous as Cow Fish Fowl or Pig, which was an embarrassment of riches. I feel that Blood of the Ram needs more Max Johnson tunes(there's only one). Max's tremolo and traditional sound balances the off-kilter Jimmy Smith and down-home drawl of Kevin Russell offerings.



Blood finds the Gourds trying some new sounds that I haven't heard from them, like the soul of Escalade or the Allman sounding guitar of TTT Gas, complete with solo. Another more prominent thing that I heard on this CD that I can live without is the profanity. Personally, it doesn't bother me, but it limits who I can listen with. Jimmy, I'm looking at you :) The electric organ added to Turd in My Pocket adds a kind of odd revival feel to that song. As it is, it is really hard to classify any of the songs as most are a blending af several different styles into something new, with unconventional lyrics laid on top of that. My two favorites are "On Time," and the unusual "Blood of the Ram," which is kind of an old trail-ride sounding song about a ram and slaughtering. It sticks in your brain.



So, to rate the Gourds CDs:

Stadium Blitzer *****

Cow Fish Fowl or Pig *****

Bolsa de Agua *****

Blood of the Ram ****

Ghosts of Halleluja *** (couldn't really get into this one)

Dems good Beeble*** (Didn't listen to this one much, but maybe I should)

Shinebox ? Never managed to get this one"