There’s something about the way that Chris Flemmons sings on ‘Going Back Song,’ the opening track of this E.P., that lends itself to a certain image. It is as if he has been punched a number of times in the mouth -I’d like to think during a whiskey fuelled brawl in a suitably smokey Denton bar- and he can barely move his lips or tongue because of the pain and the swelling. His words have become a little slurry and mispronounced, and lines like -’Darling have you found your love? / Does it feel as if you’re floating? / Does it slow down in your blood?’- become cries of impotent defiance; the sounds of a man about to self-destruct and not wanting the satisfaction of pushing the button belonging to someone else.
A limited release to accompany / promote the excellent No Silver/No Gold, Void Touching Faster Victuals carries some of the songs that didn’t make it onto the album proper, with the exception of the opening track. The method of recording (straight onto eight-track in Chris Flemmons’ garage) gives a ramshackle feel to all the bands offerings so far. The sonic fuzz adds authenticity to the lyrics, and on occasions you even expect Mark Linkous and his box of sound effects to appear, adding the southern gothic hand print of Sparklehorse to proceedings - there certainly is an affinity between this and Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot.
Like with Sparklehorse, The Baptist Generals owe heavy influence to early Neil Young (After The Goldrush, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere). Lyrically though, they are much darker, and a certain amount of black humour persists, especially on their earlier release ‘Dog’ on Munich Records, which bring to mind the flood of self-loathing that permeates Vic Chesnutt’s 2001 album ‘Left To His Own Devices.’
The Austin / Denton areas of Texas seem to be fertile breeding grounds for bands at the moment. And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Lift To Experience, Centro-matic, Slobberbone are ones that spring to mind that have all put out impressive albums over the last couple of years. The Baptist Generals certainly hold their own amongst such talented company. |