Moreland & Arbuckle1861NorthernBluesNBM0044

Moreland & Arbuckle - 1861 - NorthernBlues - NBM0044

Written by John Taylor

Describing their music as "hill country blues from Kansas' shows the augmented duo of Aaron Moreland and Dustin Arbuckle have a sense of humour. (For the geographically challenged, Kansas is kind of ... err ... flat. As in 'not many hills at all' flat). But make no mistake - the music itself is, as the saying goes, "serious as a heart attack."

Word has it these boys have been tearing it up all over the American heartland, with live shows approaching legendary status for exuberant energy and frantic delivery. And as we all know, studio recordings usually fail to capture a band's energy. Not here, though - opening with fat, distorted guitar and ferociously in-your-face harp that lead into the train-rhythm "Gonna Send You Back To Georgia," it's hard to imagine any more energy could be squeezed in. Moreland's guitar slashes, Arbuckles's harp roars and wails, and Brad Horner provides the kind of percussive urgency that leaves listeners, let alone the drummer, awash in sweat.

Given the ferocity of the leadoff track, the grinding "Fishin' Hole," with it's melodic guitar and harp over a chunky beat, comes almost as a relief. And the all-acoustic "Tell Me Why" has a back-porch feel to it, though there remains a spooky intensity that keeps things from becoming very relaxed. "Diamond Ring," benefiting enormously from guest Chris Wiser's atmospheric B3, gives everyone an opportunity for some intriguing extrapolations as they play with the song's structure over an extended fade.

"See My Jumper Hangin' Out On The Line" channels the late R.L Burnside to excellent effect, and one could easily imagine Johnny Cash claiming the chugging rhythms of "The Legend" as his own. But pay attention to the story - this one hits hard, exposing the way even survivors' lives are torn apart by war with unflinching honesty, all the more potent for it's decidedly apolitical perspective. There's also a refreshing simplicity to "Never Far Behind," with its obviously-autobiographical lyrics celebrating the simple life without a trace of affectation.

"Please, Please Mammy" rides a Jimmy Reed style groove, but somehow Moreland and Arbuckle make it dark, with significantly more menace than the affable Mr. Reed ever managed. "Pittsburgh In The Morning, Philadelphia At Night" is all hill-country, though, a romping, stomping drone with Arbuckle's raw harmonica weaving throughout. "Wrong I Do" doesn't fare quite so well, however. An acoustic guitar/vocal duet, it's simply too slow-paced to sustain interest, though it might work as a quiet closer were it not for "Wiser Jam," the collection's only misstep. Even a jam has to have a musical purpose, and "Wiser" doesn't make much of a statement over its meandering six-and-a-half minutes (although the interplay among contributors makes for an interesting, if not quite engaging, listen).

Moreland's guitar work (he's credited with electric, parlor, resonator, and cigar-box guitars) is uniformly excellent, though given the trio format he's largely restricted to rhythmic accompaniment, without much lead time; it's Arbuckle on harmonica who really shines, with great tone and a delightful mix of the expected and the thoroughly surprising. The harp is a limited instrument, but Arbuckle finds new sounds on almost every track here. His vocals won't win awards but he's eminently effective, his unpretentious delivery a perfect match for the material.

Raw and raucous, unconfined by convention and more interested in feel than formula, this is stellar stuff from a band to watch. Highly recommended!

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