In the month that Rocket From The Crypt release the DVD of their last ever show helping us to mourn the passing of one of the last great Rock and Roll bands, here come The Bookhouse Boys. They may not be cast in the same pedal to the floor style of RFTC exactly but this nine-piece certainly know how to make full and impassioned music.
Dead itself takes off like an old Dick Dale instrumental that's been reworked by John Williams. Once it settles down things take on a more sinister feel, heading down the same dusty roads Nick Cave likes to inhabit. What really impresses is the sheer scale of the sound that The Bookhouse Boys possess. I'd hesitate to use cinematic because that's such a cliché, but the sheer weight and scope of Dead is astounding. It covers every base and tickles every pleasure sensor in the brain. The idea of hearing this band play live causes your brain to vibrate with excitement.
The Valley is a much more subtle affair, but no less affecting. Creeping slowly out of your speakers like a spiteful lullaby played by a gothic folk band it has the somewhat dubious pleasure of being one of the most creepy songs we’ve heard so far this year. Could be The Bookhouse Band's return and reinvigoration of roots music is just what we've been missing.
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