Showing posts with label Wrinkle Neck Mules. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wrinkle Neck Mules. Show all posts

May 10, 2018

Album Review / Leon III

Leon III's debut album begins with a Grateful Dead-esque loopy guitar intro and then the heavy twang of a familiar voice. The band's background info describes them as a psychedelic Americana group, and based on the opening seconds, you'd have to say that's about right. 

The voice you recognize is that of Andy Stepanian, the head ass of the Wrinkle Neck Mules, a long under-appreciated alt-country outfit from Virginia. Mason Brent of the Mules is on guitar. Leon III is a bringing together of this duo's rustic aesthetic with the smoother sounds of acts like Wilco and the experimentation of jam and indie rock. While that may sound like an odd mixture, it's not a far cry from a lot of the alt-country I listened to in the early 2000s.

The band is rounded out by drummer Brian Kotzur of Silver Jews, pianist Tony Crow, singer Jordan Caress, and guitarist Chris Scruggs - Scruggs as in the grandson of Earl - this is a top notch collaboration of musicians. 

So, I've listed the influences and ingredients, but what does Leon III sound like? Downtrodden folk rock might be the best descriptive. Stepanian's gruff vocals combined with the softer textures laid down behind him is an intoxicating presentation. For me, the familiarity with Wrinkle Neck Mules' jubilance made it an even more disconcerting experience at first. It's not a challenging listen, but it's a challenge to absorb this album. The reward is worth repeated listens. 

The album is meant to be digested as a whole, but there are a few standout tracks for me. "Faded Mountain" is driven by bass and drums, punctuated by piano and steel guitar. It's one of the quieter moments on Leon III, but the simplicity of the sounds and the poetry of the lyrics make it one of the more poignant.


"Alberta" is the heart of this record. It's a slow build of a song about realizing you'll never have it all. The progression of this track will raise the hairs on your arms - horns push the horizon higher and Stepanian's yearning grows then fades. It's an emotional trip.

"Between the Saddle and the Ground" talks about the swiftness in which salvation can be found, even in the fleeting moments. It's constructed around a William Camden quote referred to on the Dead's "China Doll." The tune is reverential to the Dead, but the sound is pure epic Americana. 

Leon III isn't an easy album to love, but once you've let it seep in for a few listens, it won't leave your mind or soul. This is emotional, intelligent, artful music in an era of throwaway culture. If you dig Wrinkle Neck Mules, Silver Jews, Wilco, or any act in between, it's well worth your investment to give this record a few spins. 

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Leon III is available on Amazon, Cornelius Chapel, and all the usual outlets. 



Mar 13, 2018

New Video / Leon III / "Between the Saddle and the Ground"

Leon III is an alt-country band featuring members of Wrinkle Neck Mules, Silver Jews, and Lambchop. You'll recognize the vocals immediately, but Leon III is a more spaced out and experimental version of Americana than Wrinkle Neck Mules. Their self-titled debut album comes out May 11.

Aug 9, 2016

Win Our Big Music Stash!


Over the past few years, particularly the last 2, we've built up quite a stash of CDs and other merchandise sent to us by bands and singers. I need to clear some of this stuff out, so I'm giving away a big ol' stash box.

So how can you win it? Just be funny. Since memes are the quickest way to get a joke across, that's one possibility. Make a meme and send it to us; easy as that. *United States only*

You can email it to farcethemusic@gmail.com 

or you can DM it to me on Twitter @Farcethemusic (let us know if we need to follow you) 

or you can message it on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/farcethemusic

We'll also accept Top 10 Lists, parody lyrics, parody songs, funny Photoshop edits, song reviews (funny or serious), and literally anything else you want to write or create, even just a funny tweet if you make sure I see it, that's related to music (particularly country and Americana). Please don't post anything directly on our Facebook page or Tweet it publicly. We'd rather the material stay private until (and if) we post it on FTM.

There's no limit on entries. The best wins, so quality is certainly more welcome than quantity,  but I don't care how many things you send. Be the funniest, the most insightful, the most clever, the best review writer… whatever. Anything you send may be posted on Farce the Music.

I (Trailer) and another member of the staff or two will judge entries. Winner gets the whole box of stuff (detailed below). There may be other prizes awarded as well, if we get a lot of good stuff. Contest starts now. Send your entry by midnight, Friday, August 26th. Now get to work!

Special thanks to these bands and artists for last-minute help filling up the box!


Here's the Prize Stash:

Unopened CDs
Jonathan Tyler - Holy Smokes
Bart Crow - Dandelion
Wrinkle Neck Mules - I Never Thought it Would Go This Far
Taylor Alexander - Real Good at Saying Goodbye
The Britt Lloyd Band - Unlabeled
The Britt Lloyd Band - The Ink
Dub Miller - The Midnight Ambassador
Dub Miller - Lost/Live
Cyrus James - Dreamers of the Day
Cyrus James - Molly and the Devil
Grady Spencer and The Work - The Line Between
Mayeux and Broussard - High Times & Good Rhymes

Lightly used CDs (ripped once and returned to package)
Will Hoge -Small Town Dreams
Wade Bowen - s/t
Chris Roberts - The Way West
The Excavators - s/t
The Mastersons - Good Luck Charm
Hailey Cole - Illusions
Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen - Hold My Beer, Vol. 1
The Surreal McCoys - The Howl and the Growl
Hailey Whitters - Black Sheep
Texas Renegade - Surviving the Flood

2 Wrinkle Neck Mules t-shirts (Different designs: 1 large, 1 xl)

Koozies
Angaleena Presley
Grady Spencer & the Work
The Damn Quails
Charlie Worsham

Mayeux & Broussard Sticker
Wrinkle Meck Mules Sticker

Jul 2, 2015

FTM's 10 Favorite Songs of 2015 So Far

In no particular order.


John Moreland - White Flag
Wrinkle Neck Mules - Beehive


Whitey Morgan - Still Drunk, Still Crazy, Still Blue

Kendrick Lamar - King Kunta

The Honeycutters - Me Oh My

Randy Rogers and Wade Bowen - El Dorado


Benton Leachman - Lonely

Darrell Scott - Thanksgiving 1985

Father John Misty - The Night Josh Tillman Came to Our Apt.


Chris Stapleton - Fire Away



These and many other good songs from 2015 are included on this Spotify playlist:


Apr 1, 2015

Best Albums of 2015 So Far: 1st Quarter Report

My actual "Best of 2015" list includes four albums not yet released, but since this is labeled as the "1st Quarter Report," I decided to stay true to the title and not include those four. However, you should know that my favorite album I've heard this year is actually Whitey Morgan's Sonic Ranch ...and by a long shot. It comes out in May. But here's the list of my favorite albums released thus far in 2015.



10. Butch Walker - Afraid of Ghosts

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12. Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside

13. Houndmouth - Little Neon Limelight

14. The Delta Routine - You and Your Lion

15. The Lone Bellow - Then Came the Morning

16. The Mavericks - Mono

17. Aaron Watson - The Underdog

18. Ryan Bingham - Fear and Saturday Night

19. Striking Matches - Nothing But the Silence

20. Gurf Morlix - Eatin' at Me

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Yet to hear or need to hear more of: Gretchen Peters - Blackbirds, Jackson Taylor - Cantina del Diablo, Haley Cole - Illusions, Great Lake Swimmers - A Forest of Arms, Joe Pug - Windfall, Willie & the Giant - s/t, JJ Grey & Mofro - Ol' Glory, Brandi Carlile - The Firewatcher's Daughter, No Dry County - The Night Before, Cody Jinks - Adobe Sessions.

Feb 17, 2015

Album Review: Wrinkle Neck Mules - I Never Thought It Would Go This Far

Fireworks stand - you can light a bottle rocket in my hand. There's a fine line between disaster and the best-laid plans. -"Whistlers and Sparklers"

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Wrinkle Neck Mules are a sixteen-year-old dual-lead-singer Americana band with a heavy dose of Appalachian twang and an extra helping of cryptic absurdity. That's not to say they're a novelty act - the absurdity is found in their uniquely specific descriptions of the seedier sides of rural life, bound together by an abstract painter's sense of aesthetics.

You listen to a Mules song and first think "this sounds great!" Then you get a vague idea of what the song is about, despite the accents being so heavy that it's hard to entirely tell what's going on. Next, you read the actual lyrics, scratch your head, and find yourself back at "this sounds great!"

That's certainly the case on I Never Thought It Would Go This Far, the band's sixth full album. Take opener "Whistlers and Sparklers," for instance. On casual listen, it's a grimy country-rock jam about traveling fireworks salesmen. Or is it? The narrative throws in "I think we tapped the wellspring" and "bits of code" and suddenly the song isn't so easily understood. Maybe it's about overcoming difficulty; maybe it's about songwriting - as the second verse seems to allude to. Maybe it's all of that. All I know is it's a killer tune whose final verse is an inventory list of different types of fireworks. What's not to love?

I was convinced "Beehive," my favorite track on the album, was about a drug selling collective, but truth be known, I don't know what the hell they're talking about. It's a swaying anthem, all drawled harmonies, smoke, and a children's kick drum thrown in for good measure. I find myself seeing the parallels between drug dealers and a touring band in the arcane arrangement of words.

Other standouts include "Release the Reins," "Days Don't End," and "The Line's Been Drawn." If you're looking for simply told tales and clearly drawn lines, Wrinkle Neck Mules aren't going to give it to you. This is Faulkner retold by an eloquent meth head, Gothic sermons repeated by a hopeful drunk. No thread of plot or intent will be easily teased from this fabric and that's what will keep the listener returning, alongside the kickass hillbilly rocking of course.

Maybe this fine album isn't to be analyzed at all. Find your own meaning in these literate, attitude-driven, poetic, anti-bucolic, abstruse (and surprisingly fun) lyrics and run with it. It's not like you're going to stop tapping your foot, either way. It's all too damn catchy; and so steeped in shine and cooked over some ridge dweller's firepit, I Never Thought It Would Go This Far can't help but captivate.

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I Never Thought It Would Go This Far is available here, iTunes, Amazon, etc.

Mar 7, 2012

Favorite Songs of 2012 So Far

Some of these haven't been released just yet, but Lucero, Delta Spirit and Shooter Jennings all come out next Tuesday. Paul Thorn's new album of cover songs, What the Hell is Goin' On?, is due for release May 8th.

These are in no particular order of preference, though my early fave is "Dance in the Darkness."

Click to read...

Mar 2, 2012

YouTube Gems: Wrinkle Neck Mules Sell Out

Just kidding about the selling out part.... good for the Wrinkle Neck Mules for getting a Geico spot! The more exposure for real music, the better. Here they are with the song featured in that Geico commercial, "Central Daylight Time," from their new album Apprentice to Ghosts (which is still inexplicably unavailable in mp3 format on Amazon). Anyway... here ya go.


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