Reviews

Blue Twisted Steel
Album: Turnstile Of Romance
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 10
Website: https://www.bluetwistedsteel.net/

Based in West Virginia, fronted by husband and wife Josiah and Abigail Spangler (who previously released an EP and album as Marguerite, named after her great-grandmother) and featuring multi-instrumentalist Travis Egnor, the new name was inspired by her grandfather's Navy nickname, apparently never losing an arm-wrestling match. They call their music post-Americana, which basically means giving rootsy songs an experimental twist with electronic, ambient, lo-fi, and avant-garde elements, though there's nothing here likely to greatly frighten the horses.

Their unaccompanied harmonies open up 'Amidst The Trees', which proceeds to what, Abigail on lead might be best described as mingling South African Township, doo wop lilt and bluesy rock groove with wailing guitars. That's followed, Joslyn Hampton on vocals, with the punningly titled chug and bluesy guitar licks of the self-doubt themed 'Social (Lies)', Josiah stepping up for the Bolan-toned 'Devils In Dreams' with wah-wah guitar shading the psychedelic glam feel and lines like "I was lying in bed in a catatonic state/Every breath was a struggle to exist/Stuck in my slumber no signs of escape/I was away from the dreads of life/Ripped into the black and white/Of a dream" and a call to "Walk it in your mind".

Abigail again on vocals, starting low 'Eternal Fire' rides a repetitive rockabilly riff and rhythm as she sings about finally finding love after a succession of relationship setbacks, "searching for someone to see/Me for who I was and not for something they had in mind" and wondering why "God didn't seem to hear my prayers". Equally of a radio-friendly pop persuasion, 'Lowlight' is a moody cascading notes love song ballad ("We dream about sorrow, and dream about things all anew/We made up an ending that ended up all coming true/Me and you") with a touch of Chris Isaak to its DNA.

The second half leads off with the near seven-minute title track, the pair initially harmonising over piano and guitar before it blossoms into meandering woozy waves of desert psychedelic country before ending with an extended cosmic guitar outro. Josiah upfront, 'Wicked' is a relatively straightforward slow walking moody countrified groove with electronic breezes and twangy guitar wafting it along, the shortest track being the playful and lively retro country hiccuppy bounce of 'Everything I Was And Tried To Be'.

It ends with two five-minute plus numbers, first being 'G.U.O.G', as in get up and go, with a core heavy bluesy rock drive featuring steady punchy drums, keyboard swirls and a stormy chaos ending, and, finally, Josia on soulful semi-spoken (a twinge of Prince perhaps) and crooned vocals, the slow-walking love song 'The Reason' which talks about "the ways we make each other cry" and asks "why can't we live life in each other's dreams/Instead of seeing things from a single side", posing the songwriter's dilemma with "Can we write a song without saying love in it/It's kinda hard for us, isn't it".

An album for those willing to take risks with their Americana listening, it may take a while to get to grips with but, like that grandfather, it will eventually win the arm wrestling.

Mike Davies

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