Drag the River - It's Crazy

It's been a shitty week. Nothin' like a whiskey-soaked alt-country album to match my mood. Check it out.

Today's album: Drag the River - It's Crazy

Genre: Alt-Country
Released: June 6, 2006
Running time: 13 tracks, 1:09:15
In a nutshell: Crack open a beer and enjoy the twang

I just listened to this for the first time, and absolutely loved it. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for country, having been raised on country radio. Of course I realize that contemporary country radio has less to do with actual country, and more to do with sugar-coated Americana, but when you're young you'll latch onto just about anything that catchy.

To be fair, Drag the River isn't 100% country either; they definitely belong in the alt-country niche. The band actually has a punk background, which is reflected in the music; a few of the songs have a bit more drive than you'd expect from traditional country. Even the slower drawl of Fire & Flood ends with a shockingly abrasive guitar solo, totally overpowering the otherwise complacent rhythm section. Beatuiful & Damned also adds just a hint of distortion to the slide-guitar for a rather unnerving effect. For the most part, however, the album features all the rollicking twang you'd probably expect.

What really distinguishes this album is the lyrics. These aren't exactly rednecks...or perhaps they are, but they seem to feel a bit out of place nonetheless. The theme of alcohol is fairly consistent, but is often used to convey a deeper sort of emotional turmoil. In other words, there aren't any point-blank narratives here. At the same time, the album avoids gutter-depression with some really fun songs, especially the 3 song suite of Amazing G-Dirty Lips-Cousins.

The final track on the album is a 30 minute reprise of the entire album, but it sounds more or less the same. Some of the songs sound like they have been mixed a bit better, such as album highlight Me & Joe Drove Out to California, but otherwise there isn't much of a difference.

This is definitely recommended. It's 5 o'clock, I'm on my second beer of many, and I'm feeling a lot better. I hope everyone has a great weekend. Hasta luego...