[rating=8.00]
East Nashville’s Blank Range brings us their long-awaited debut full-length Marooned With The Treasure with Hiss Golden Messenger’s multi-everything guy Brad Cook’s hands on the knobs a’la Thirty Tigers. The loose grooves are plenty, as are great songs. Deliciously left of center just as the previous EPs suggested a long player would be. I’ll maintain my former description “as a novelty whisky meld of cocaine country and 70’s garage” but that doesn’t do things justice. Blank Range’s audible libation is unflappable with a swing, if you prefer your heady rock with a dose of Dead and a Willie Nelson post-dinner smoke, come hither.
For those who’ve been stuck up a tree or marooned with a treasure, here’s your soundtrack. It’s a labor of love and that’s all it’s ever gonna be. Want not for what it’s worth, the truth is out there, it’s prophetic and omnipresent. Life is what it is, so it goes, forever and ever. While we’re here or not, this thing keeps on moving. Time stops for no man but the tape machine does. And if we’re just lucky enough to have that love by our side, we’ve really already won the battle.
Jon Childers’ songwriting is an ever-growing beast and a crack band of musicians to hammer out the foundation is a valuable asset, DIY till they die, and proud of it. Marooned With The Treasure offers build-up rockers like “The Season” and sultry, melodic ethers like “Embers In The Ash” and “Crimson Moon”, two personal favorites and perfect songs to boot. The record is an equal offering of countrified rock’n’roll to emotional indie leanings with folky underwear, loose and groovin’, but able to tighten it up to bounce –a- quarter- off- the- sheets. An impressive debut record for any band, I have high praise and high hopes.
Photo credit: Don VanCleave
