Every Dog Has its Day -5/5
A lot of bands self-produce albums and EPs to make the process cheaper and quicker. However, the quartet from Devon called “Slipdown Dog” decided to take things a step further by performing all five tracks from “The Plough On” EP live, as Vocalist Paul Besselle explained that they wanted to get the same feel on a CD as a live show, also comparing their sound to "This is what it would sound like if Black Sabbath had a fight with Neil Young & Bob Dylan whilst Tom Waits drank whisky in the corner". Intrigued by this statement and of how awesome that image would be, I decided togive this EP a listen. And it certainly caught me off guard.
“Until the Morning Light” opens with Si Paull on a Cajon and Shakers, giving it a soft, country feel, before the fuzzy guitar of Jamie O’
Connor rumbles in, with the catchy bass line of Dave Watts. It certainly has that raw feeling of a live recording, but it doesn’t sound amateur – these guys know what they’re doing. “Slipdown Dog” kicks in with Paul’s bluesy acoustic guitar riff and what sounds like a slide guitar from Jamie, with a raw and aggressive tone. Paul Besselle prides himself with some fascinating lyrics and Just having to whisper, waiting for the backing vocals to do the shouting job for him, and some low throaty growling right at the end which as awesome as it is scary. “Put Some Good Back” sounds like something that Johnny Cash would write with its joyful and country feel that probably wouldn’t have the same feel if it were recorded in a normal conventional way, with Dave and Jamie contributing to the dance-like atmosphere of the track, with a harmonica chirping away joyfully over a damned good guitar solo. “The Payload and the Accomplice” is again something that sounds like Bob Dylan would write, with an added country/ska like feel, with Dave’s bass pumping away high notes with Paul’s treasured lyrics. On the last track there’s a “What the hell’s going on?!” moment with Jamie’s fuzzy guitar churning something that sounds like a riff Mark Knopfler has stupidly discarded, leading to a full throttle jam with “Slipdown Dog” that’s guaranteed to make everyone dance.
“Slipdown Dog” is a band of many rarities – it has the ability to craft influences from other artists and transform them into truly ingenious songs. Every dog has its day, and it’s certainly the day for these guys…
http://www.facebook.com/#!/SlipdownDog
You can also catch Slipdown Dog at Chagstock 2012 - http://www.chagstock.info/
“Until the Morning Light” opens with Si Paull on a Cajon and Shakers, giving it a soft, country feel, before the fuzzy guitar of Jamie O’
Connor rumbles in, with the catchy bass line of Dave Watts. It certainly has that raw feeling of a live recording, but it doesn’t sound amateur – these guys know what they’re doing. “Slipdown Dog” kicks in with Paul’s bluesy acoustic guitar riff and what sounds like a slide guitar from Jamie, with a raw and aggressive tone. Paul Besselle prides himself with some fascinating lyrics and Just having to whisper, waiting for the backing vocals to do the shouting job for him, and some low throaty growling right at the end which as awesome as it is scary. “Put Some Good Back” sounds like something that Johnny Cash would write with its joyful and country feel that probably wouldn’t have the same feel if it were recorded in a normal conventional way, with Dave and Jamie contributing to the dance-like atmosphere of the track, with a harmonica chirping away joyfully over a damned good guitar solo. “The Payload and the Accomplice” is again something that sounds like Bob Dylan would write, with an added country/ska like feel, with Dave’s bass pumping away high notes with Paul’s treasured lyrics. On the last track there’s a “What the hell’s going on?!” moment with Jamie’s fuzzy guitar churning something that sounds like a riff Mark Knopfler has stupidly discarded, leading to a full throttle jam with “Slipdown Dog” that’s guaranteed to make everyone dance.
“Slipdown Dog” is a band of many rarities – it has the ability to craft influences from other artists and transform them into truly ingenious songs. Every dog has its day, and it’s certainly the day for these guys…
http://www.facebook.com/#!/SlipdownDog
You can also catch Slipdown Dog at Chagstock 2012 - http://www.chagstock.info/