Formed in Edinburgh in 2007, the Wynntown Marshals' debut album WESTERNER showcases that rare ability to sound every bit as authentic as most of their American counterparts with tight arrangements and effortless flair. With a slight nod towards the likes of The Jayhawkes, Wilco and Ryan Adams, the ten originals and one cover, Ballad of Jayne originally by LA Guns, make up an impressive kick start to what promises to be a fruitful recording career. Their live work has been noticeable in their support spots for such as Chuck Prophet, Richmond Fontaine and Jason and the Scorchers. Entrusting production duties to Graham Deas whose credentials in the studio include working with KT Tunstall and Super Furry Animals, Keith Benzie's songs are given the time and effort they richly deserve and the results are immediately impressive.
Joining Benzie, the other Marshals are Keith Jones on drums, Iain's Sloan and Barbour on various guitars and Murdo Macleod on bass. The acoustic guitar at the beginning of the album's opener You Can Have My Heart indicates that this is not going to be an all out rocker of an album and there's an even distribution of more sensitive songs such as the Neil Young inspired All That I Want and Thunder in the Valley as well as the instrumental El Prado, whilst the country rockers Nelly, 48 Hours and Two's Company showcase the band's tight rhythmic unity. Gil, with its Band-like chorus, is custom made for encores and one imagines lighters held aloft or at the very least, that inescapable last waltz on the dance floor.
Probably the most unusual song on the album is Snowflake, whose central character is the world's only albino gorilla. Snowflake was known to the thousands who visited Barcelona Zoo in order to meet its most beloved character, before the gorilla's sad death as a result of skin cancer in 2003. There was a despairing sense of loneliness that you couldn't help feel when you came eye to eye with Snowflake and the song, written from Snowflake's perspective as an orphan in the world, captures this sense of melancholy particularly well, despite its jauntily rhythmic backdrop.
Divine Compassion delves into the murky waters of war, with a brooding hard rock undercurrent; a wander into the apocalyptic heart of darkness with a late 1960's psychedelic feel, which shows yet another side to this promising band.
Allan Wilkinson
Northern Sky
