Cave States have jumped into the crowded market of bands and acts with "Cave" in the band name but are they more Cold Cave than Sacred Miracle Cave or are they more like Nick Cave or the Cavemen? Well, this bunch of Cave dwellers are from St. Louis and have been operating as backing musicians in various bands for many years before deciding to come together as Cave StateS, so this is is their second album and first proper studio effort.
The album opens with Commuter, a rather slow mordant country song about it being a hard road to travel. This would be perfect to send you to sleep on a commuter train or bus. No Words is a bit perkier, although it lies to the listener as it does have words! I like the way the strings fill in the background and it reminds me a bit of The Dead Fingers. They may be hitting bottom but it actually sounds reasonably uplifting as they find a way to move on.
In The Dark is a gently strummed song of (is it despair and despondency?) that suddenly brightens up when the hand claps come in half way through with some nice backing vocals that are almost choral in feel with some cool strings too. Over And Done sounds like Viarosa: a gentle dark country song that feels like it's made for late night listening.
Floating Around feels barely there. It's about a chat on a Sunday, possibly after church. They sound sad and redolent about the past. Mountain is another slow, mordant song that doesn't sound like the band of that name or would make you wish to climb a mountain. It's wistful in the extreme.
Changing On Me does nothing of the sort as it keeps up (or is that down?) the slow, deliberate, sad country feel of the rest of the album. Lazy Susan has some beguiling strings to accompany the as ever sad and carefully sung lyrics. This is a wonderfully careworn song that will grow on you with a little time.
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Kingdom Come isn't the Tom Verlaine song of that name or the much more recent Fernando Vicciconte song but yet another Kingdom Come. This one is a rather gentle, laid back take on Kingdom Come with some almost Belle and Sebastian-style backing vocals circa Lazy Line Painter Jane but with far less energy musically, but still a quite nice song.
The album's one actual cover version is Badfinger's Take It All a song I'll admit to having not heard for about 25 years plus. Cave States play it like a very slow rumination on life with some cool strumming and nice harmonies as it slowly builds to a soft peak. I may have to listen to the original again to see how it compares.
The album closes with True Life another slow, carefully strummed country song that like the opener is also perfect for helping you to drift off to sleep, even if this album needs to be listened to for other reasons than the need for sleep. If you get my drift.
If you like slow mordant country then Cave States will be right up your street, but if you are looking for memorable sing along songs then you may need to look elsewhere.
Find out more at Cave States online
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