Reviews
Artist:Son Of The Velvet Rat Album: Ghost Ranch
Label: Fluffy And Gravy
Tracks: 11
Website: https://www.sonofthevelvetrat.com/
Upon its release, I was a massive fan of Son Of The Velvet Rat's 2021 SOLITARY COMPANY, the songs, the duo's soulful dusty Americana and Georg Altziebler's characterful voice all really hit the spot. If like me you were captivated in 2021, or even before, then be prepared to be absolutely floored by GHOST RANCH, the latest album by the Joshua Tree based band with Georg and Heike Binder contrasting voices at its core. Opening track "Bewildering Black And White Moments Captured On Trail Cams" with its loopy atmospheric intro and Georg's other worldly harmonica is as eerie and dry as film music.
Son Of The Velvet Rat are masters of space, leaving air that fills with tension around Altziebler's vocal and words. This is the sound of rusty rail yards, full of bleached buildings where were wait for something to happen. The revisited "Are The Angels Pretty" features Marc Ribot's distinctive guitar describing space around Jay Bellerose's sparse percussion. Again this is an exercise in atmosphere and tension with Georg's lyrics and delivery straight from a classic Spaghetti Western. "Beautiful Day" paints a glorious picture of a perfect day out, with an amazing duet between Altziebler and Jolie Holland and guitar squalls and snarls from Ribot.
"Deeper Shade Of Blue" is blues poetry, with Holland providing a gospel third voice and a musical saw like whistle. "The Golden Gate" is just Heike Binder and Georg delivering a delicate folk blues travel song, but one that is still full of presence. Likewise the soulful "Southbound Plane". "Rosary" is a storming stomper with an eldritch storm cooked by Holland's violin, Binder's theramin and waves of guitar that seethe around Georg and Heike's vocals. Bellerose and Jane Cowan play lead rhythm section with a huge drum and double bass pulse on "Kindness Of The Moon" a travel song that sounds like The Doors doing voodoo Americana. Altziebler's poetic words contrast with the musical storm around them. To show their developing sound SOTVR revisit "The Waterlily And The Dragonfly" wrapping the love song in dusty atmosphere.
The album ends with "Cicadas" solo guitar played with the sounds of the late night insects. The music is over and we sit looking at the dark in the Morongo Valley where much of the album was recorded. With a recording career that stretches back over twenty one years, it feels like Son Of The Velvet Rat have created a soundscape and a musical world that perfectly suits Georg and Heike's voices and Altziebler's writing.
Marc Higgins
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The Fatea Showcase Sessions are a series of downloads featuring acts that we've really enjoyed and think that more people should get the chance to hear.
Pirate is the current session and features 16 fantastic artists check out the website to find out more about them and download your copy
www.fatea-showcase-sessions.co.uk for all the artist information.