Heartless Bastards released The Mountain this week and it’s pretty much the bees knees. Combining equal elements of folk, garage rock and awesome, the band created a well-crafted album that might be a serious contender for our Best Album of 2009 award.
The band hails from Dayton, OH but also spent some time in Austin in 2007 for inspirational change. It’s that move, methinks, that gives The Mountain a more southern folksy feel. Intermingling with the crashing drums and guitars are mandolins, banjos and slide guitars. Erika Wennerstrom’s vocals are lazy and powerful, like that dog that would sleepily slap you in the face with its paw.
Yes, The Mountain definitely shows a move from the garage out into the wild, but the group still keeps it’s raw bluesy roots (see “Hold Your Head High”). On “Early in the Morning” and “Out At Sea” you can see their impulse to rock is still intact. Which allows the softer side of The Mountain to contrast nicely. The back half of the album shows them proudly waving their folk flag high.
Whether or not the band retains this folk influence or not, this album shows the ever-growing trend of our appetite for folksy indie bands. The album is out now on Fat Possum. You can grab a hard copy there or download it from iTunes. Heartless Bastards are also totally touring all over the place although there aren’t any shows for the D.C./Baltimore area yet (booo!). MP3s down there.
Heartless Bastards – “The Mountain” [MP3]
Heartless Bastards – “Early In The Morning” [MP3]
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I really prefer the new sound.