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Archie Bronson Outfit, "Derdang Derdang"
The second album from South London’s Archie Bronson Outfit finds the trio firing on all cylinders, incorporating the influence of American blues and roots alongside their angular guitars and propulsive rhythms for a collection of rousing stomps.
It’s no surprise that the material was recorded in Nashville, not because the album contains any recording signatures from the area, but rather because the songwriting evidences a genuine respect for Americana. Even as they ramp up the rhythm on a disco-heavy track like "Dead Funny," a deep blues still informs the backbone of the song. The guitars are loud and distorted all over this album, but the group wields them with deft control to build excitement and drama as effectively as possible.
For the most part, their efforts pay off. There’s a nice flow to the album that engages as it proceeds, and the transitions are pretty seamless. Sam Windett infuses his vocals with a world-weariness that sticks out from others who sing in that style because of the strength of the somewhat surrealistic lyrics that are actually written by drummer Arp Cleveland. One of the nice extra touches are the horns brought in on a few of the songs: something I wouldn’t mind hearing more of in the future because of the chaotic element they bring to these tightly-wound compositions. The only real misstep I found was the closing "Harp for My Sweetheart," which is basically an acoustic version of the far superior "Dart for My Sweetheart" found earlier on the album. It’s not bad in and of itself, but would have worked better as a B-side since it sticks out so much here. The rest of the album is a fun, spirited romp deserving many repeated listens.
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