Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
There is the often heard and then there is the new and invigorating, the sound that perhaps once alerted the radio listener to the fact that a single or even an album that was about to played over the airwaves that would change their mind on the direction of their musical tunes in their head the following day.
The often heard though is not forgotten, that state of music appreciative affairs is not possible, instead it book ends the listener’s mood, the commonplace and the latest novel experience raring to go, a cosmic dance in the airwaves and one in which the lovers of the whispered introduction down the ears is steered straight to the heart and the hopefully inevitable smile ushers in a new pack of likes, loves and memories.
It is the constant marriage of passion that brings the members of the Often Herd together, a consuming drive of traditional, bluegrass and the harmony, a combination of engaging diverse spirits and one that isn’t afraid to tackle a song from a music legend’s contribution to the world. It is in that reading of Bob Dylan’s You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go that the initial capturing of the ear is highlighted and soon broadened, mushroomed out in a reflective melancholy, one of joy in the voice but one holding the epitome of dynamic regret, as songs such as Cool Summer Rain, Ruined Road and Debt To The King are given tremendous musical affection.
With the six track E.P. housing two other traditional songs, Cattle in the Cane and Sail Away, the listener is introduced with a firm hand to Rupert Hughes, Evan Davies, Niles Kneger and Sam Quintana and it is a handshake that is easily taken pleasure in.
A satisfying, contemplative and desirable E.P., The Often Herd shepherds the music jointly with comfort, a tinge of the remorseful beauty, the abundance of togetherness in the pursuit of mutual appreciation, the listener is left in no doubt that if one member wasn’t happy with the result, then it would be redone, reappraised till it had the consensus of them all; a rare feat, an uncommon treat.
The often heard and the bounty of the new, one in which this Anglo-American band have got the mix of just right.
The Often Herd release their self titled debut on March 23rd.
Ian D. Hall