Having been described as “Muswell Hill’s own Whiskeytown,” home-grown Americana practitioners THE SNAKES arrive with a reputation to uphold. However, their second album ‘Sometime Soon’ suggests the praise was entirely justified all along.
Although plaintive-voiced frontman Simon Moor writes the majority of the songs, guitarist Richard Davies and bassist Johnny O’Sullivan also support admirably. The band play as a team throughout and their versatility holds them in good stead. ‘Sometime Soon’ is a recognisably Roots/ Americana-tinged release, but it has an inherent diversity which could easily scupper less capable units, so it’s a testament to The Snakes’ skill that they wear it so well throughout this hugely enjoyable album.
Unlike the majority of records, ‘Sometime Soon’ creeps subtly into your senses rather than blasts you between the eyes. Opening track ‘Interview’ is a subdued, but heartfelt ballad which moves with the grace of a more roots-inclined Tindersticks and the sparse, parched instrumentation suits it to a T.
This isn’t to say The Snakes lack energy or bite (sorry). Tracks like ‘Tin Foil Town’ and the redemptive, alcohol-fuelled anthem ‘Amaretto’ rock with conviction, while the lovelorn ‘Come My Way’ – with its’ stabs of organ punctuating the chorus – shows they are anything but unafraid of Pop. Elsewhere, both ‘Jesus in a Box’ and the (literally) cool ‘Refrigerator Blues’ sound like scuffed, but vibrant amalgams of Tom Waits and Alabama 3 riding the feistiest of grooves.
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So far and so eclectic, then. But there’s always a method to The Snakes’ roots-related madness. They may hail from north London, but they more than hold their own when they indulge in some yearning, West Coast harmonies on ‘We Can Fly’ or ‘Wasting Time’ or spill some elegant, Tex-Mex blood of the Calexico variety on ‘Cumberland Breeze’ and the excellent ‘What Have I Done To You?’ Indeed, just when you think they have all their bases covered, they leave you with the melancholic glory of the full-on Ryan Adams-style ‘Black Cat’ which is in another league again.
As with the talented likes of Michael Weston King and The Redlands Palomino Company, you can’t help wondering how easy it would be for a band like this to be taken to the hearts of the masses if they were from Malibu rather than Muswell Hill. However, we’re dealing primarily with artistic concerns here, so with that in mind let’s concentrate on the fact that ‘Sometime Soon’ is a belter. The Snakes, it seems, have coiled themselves around something very special indeed.
The Snakes on Myspace
Redeye Music online
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