Songdog:
Last Orders At Harrys Bar:
Junkyard Songs:
Out 7th October:
6/10
Right from the off, Songdog's intentions are clear - this is bottom-of-the-glass blues, unhappy hour folk-music and rock and roll for the wretched. In fact, unlike most Welsh outfits, Songdog tread a rather less rigid and robust path, venturing instead through a more reflective landscape that is, by turns, emotive, sensitive and literary, without being overly poncey.
The opening A Thousand Roads To Hell recalls Tom McRae if he met Tom Waits in a distillery, while the following A Million Times is as personal as it gets, before the bourbon-soaked glum-step of Those Straight To Video Kind Of Days. Hats off to songwriter Lyndon Morgan for that title, partly inspired by a cache of old love letters and photographs and partly driven by his local Cardigan countryside.
Perhaps that opening trio are the best tunes on here but stick with it - St Lucy's Day eddys gently while the funereal The Kid in the Super-8 Film narrates past memories and an old birthday card that clearly has an air of unfinished, possibly unrequited, love about it.
The most pleasing efforts here are the simplistic, reflective ones - Monster Of The Deep and The Lies I Tell Valerie are sad ribald vignettes that even Leonard Cohen might baulk at, although sweetly scored and as satisfying as a stiff single malt.
To get through such a weepy set of stories, you might need counselling first and a bottle of moonshine afterwards (or the other way around) but on the whole, Songdog's barking up the right tree.
Last Orders At Harrys Bar:
Junkyard Songs:
Out 7th October:
6/10
The opening A Thousand Roads To Hell recalls Tom McRae if he met Tom Waits in a distillery, while the following A Million Times is as personal as it gets, before the bourbon-soaked glum-step of Those Straight To Video Kind Of Days. Hats off to songwriter Lyndon Morgan for that title, partly inspired by a cache of old love letters and photographs and partly driven by his local Cardigan countryside.
Perhaps that opening trio are the best tunes on here but stick with it - St Lucy's Day eddys gently while the funereal The Kid in the Super-8 Film narrates past memories and an old birthday card that clearly has an air of unfinished, possibly unrequited, love about it.
The most pleasing efforts here are the simplistic, reflective ones - Monster Of The Deep and The Lies I Tell Valerie are sad ribald vignettes that even Leonard Cohen might baulk at, although sweetly scored and as satisfying as a stiff single malt.
To get through such a weepy set of stories, you might need counselling first and a bottle of moonshine afterwards (or the other way around) but on the whole, Songdog's barking up the right tree.