Palomino [LP]

by Trampled by Turtles

Overview

It's hard to come up with a memorable band name that sticks in a listener's head, and on that score alone Trampled by Turtles is worth your time. It's also a moniker that doesn't telegraph the band's sound, nor does it paint the group into a stylistic corner. That said, this Duluth, MN quintet does have a niche, but it's one that the band has carved out all on its own. Call it bluegrass thrash if you like, a rip-snortin', fire-breathin' kind of post-punk folk music that mashes up traditional country picking with a decidedly rock & roll approach. Their energy is so fierce it may take a few tracks before you realize that there's no drummer here, just five guys playing with such driving energy that a drummer is implied by their staccato instrumental prowess. Things kick off with a couple of tunes that almost leave the speakers of your sound system smoking -- "Wait So Long" starts out fast, then goes into overdrive, an angry cry of frustration from a guy who wants to be more than a best friend to his gal. Songwriter, guitarist, and singer Dave Simonett wails his heart out while Ryan Young's supersonic fiddle tosses gasoline on the fire. "It's a War" starts at a high-speed pace and doesn't let up, with Young's fiddle screaming like the siren on a rampaging fire engine. "Help You" is a rock tune played bluegrass style, with Dave Carroll's banjo and Erik Berry's mandolin splitting the solos that would usually be taken by a lead guitar. The band is just as impressive on slow tunes that allow you to appreciate Simonett's songwriting chops. "Again" is a slow, smoky rumination on a self-destructive relationship that burns on even though both lovers know it's a losing proposition, "Separate" is a quirky folk-pop tune with a cryptic lyric and inventive use of rhythm banjo, while "Gasoline" recalls a bluesy Appalachian lament with Carroll's clanging banjo and Simonett's defeated vocal. ~ j. poet

Product Details

Release Date:	05/25/2010
Label:	Banjodad Records
UPC:	0789577624320
Rank:	28282

Tracks

1. Wait So Long
2. Victory
3. It's a War
4. Separate
5. Bloodshot Eyes
6. New Son/Burnt Iron
7. Help You
8. Feet and Bones
9. Gasoline
10. Sounds Like a Movie
11. New Orleans
12. Again

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Trampled by Turtles   Primary Artist
Dave Simonett   Guitar,Vocals
Erik Berry   Mandolin
Ryan Young   Fiddle
Tim Saxhaug   Bass,Vocals
Dave Carroll   Banjo,Vocals

Technical Credits

Tom Herbers   Mixing
Dave Gardner   Mastering
Christian Renou   Management
Trampled by Turtles   Arranger,Composer
Dave Carroll   Composer,Composer
Geoff Harrison   Management
Chad Weis   Engineer
Erik Koskinen   Engineer
Rich Mattson   Engineer
Dave Simonett   Design,Composer,Engineer,Producer
Erik Berry   Composer