Old Time Religun

If your Holy Trinity consists of Nick Cave, Jon Spencer and free jazz, then this is the “religun” for you. Big, loose, boomy beats, wild, twangy guitar and tortured, preachy vocals all come together to create a sound that roughly resembles JSBX’s Crypt Style recorded by mountain men 100 years ago. There is a wild and primitive quality to the material, but there are also a lot of dynamics at work that create a wide variety of sounds. There are the more swampy, rocking tracks, like “Giant Boat” and “Jail,” the scary, quieter songs, such as “Office Building,” and bass clarinet and guitar throw-downs like the furious “Hot Oven.” By far, the one song that really stands out is the mesmerising “Khomuz,” which is simply a Jew’s Harp solo. This release brings together the world of naïve and “free” rock with the more traditional forms, such as blues, and successfully creates a fresh, cohesive sound from them.