Trampled By Turtles - Palomino [2010][EAC,log,cue. FLAC]

Artist: Release: Palomino
MusicBrainz: c1ecd5f1-87f5-470f-9c8a-a4009a2319dd
Released: 2010-04-09
Label: Banjodad Records
Catalog#: BR 07
Country: US

Tracklisting:

01. Wait So Long (03:26)
02. Victory (03:57)
03. It's a War (02:30)
04. Separate (03:33)
05. Bloodshot Eyes (05:00)
06. New Son/Burnt Iron (04:23)
07. Help You (03:13)
08. Feet and Bones (01:55)
09. Gasoline (03:00)
10. Sounds Like a Movie (02:26)
11. New Orleans (03:31)
12. Again (03:15)

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.