[.ca] Dems Good Beeble

Another try:
I thought I already reviewed this sucker but whatever. I'll make a better one. The reason you hate "country music" is because "country music" is bleached white bread gone stale and moldy on a grocery shelf. This is way better. This is down-home psychedelic Texas wackos gone wild and fearless, rare-genius musicians masquerading as brain-damaged slobs sitting on the sidewalk waiting for the bar to open. This is the world-kiss-my-ass-and-go-to-hell soundtrack you need next time you have to quit your job and spend a week on the front porch getting drunk and watching neighborhood kids play in traffic until they get run over. We all have to sometimes. Out of my entire 8,725-album collection (I'm lying) this one is my very favorite (no lie). Well okay London Calling is pretty cool too. But that's it.

Words can't describe this sound:
WOW!! That is all you can say after you listen to this CD. I wish I could have the oppurtunity to listen to this disc again for the first time. It's a disc that has country sadness without the extreme sapiness. The only thing better than The Gourds on CD is seeing them live. Getter done!!

The best alt country CD I've ever heard:
This CD is phenominal. The Gourds have their pulse on something that's difficult to explain. They're a post punk band that has basically gone bluegrass - bluegrass with an edge, that is. They fuse rock, country, bluegrass, blues, funk and punk into a gumbo that sounds great. Their lyrics are full of literary references and undecipherable Dylan-like babble that somehow comes off sounding really profound. They're etheral and earthy at the same time. Kev Russell plays the mandolin like it's a lead guitar, and it sounds great! The Wall Street Journal did a story about The Gourds saying they have a strange appeal to Baby Boomers who are still suffering from withdrawal because music just hasn't been what it was in the '60s. The Gourds' twangy vocals are often compared to Levon Helm's, so if you like "The Band," I suspect you'll like The Gourds. My favorite song on this CD is "All the Labor." Of the five songs with sound clips on Amazon.com, "Clear Night" and "Jenny Brown" stand out.

Seminal alt.country album:
This is the real deal: it's funny, it's sad, and it rocks. This album showed me that country doesn't have to \obe lousy\c. I love the instrumentation, it is the perfect match for the twangy vocals. There really isn't a bad song on here, and the first three together are sublime. Strange but true: "a little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants" is lifted from Mary Tyler Moore's Chuckles the Clown. Basically, you won't be disappointed by this album if you like your country music to have interesting lyrics and a bit of a twang.

I can't say enough good things...:
I used to be in a band in Austin that would occasionally play shows with these guys. We always knew we better have our act together or they would blow us off the stage. Dem's Good Beeble is simply stellar in every way. Jimmy (the scratchy-voiced vocalist) did the painting used for the cover, which in itself is artwork worth the price of the CD.

• Piss and Moan Blues
• Caledonia
• Dying of the Pines
• Jenny Brown
• Clear Night
• Sweet Li'l
• When Wine Was Cheap
• Money Honey
• Honduras
• Ringing Dark and True
• Pine Tar Ramparts
• Makes Me Roll
• Trampled by the Sun
• Web Before You Walk into It
• I Come Up
• All the Labor