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Cowpunk from Willseyville (2004)
Big Ship / Bozo / Carl / Jamie / Angel of Mercy / Coffee & My Numbers / If He Was Gonna Get It / Daddy / Big Truck, Little Dog / Girl / I Don't Wanna
As
one of the many bands dabbling in roots-rock on Ithaca-based label I-Town
Records, Joejo nevertheless manage to display a wholly personal style and
approach on their debut album. The fact that bass player/singer and chief
songwriter Dave Hinkle has been around for a few decades (he played with Johnny
Dowd in Neon Baptist) already ensures the band won't be pigeonholed as the
umpteenth neo-Uncle Tupelo act, but the remaining band members also add a
grit that maybe doesn't justify the "cowpunk"-label style-wise, but gives
the band more style and attitude than most bands out there. Starting from
swampy grooves and ragged, often biting, guitar parts that owe some to Neil
Young, Joejo also infest their melting pot with ingredients from musica
norteņa (those sharp guitar punctuations), lo-fi guitar rock, classic
rock and quirky little details that you can also run into on the subversive
albums of Johnny Dowd, Ithaca's very own high priest of harmful matter. Even
though the band is too neo-classicist to be considered a "punk" band, there's
a certain no-nonsense attitude and indignant stance that keep things fresh.
Opening song "Big Ship," for instance, is an in your face condemnation of
the Bush-reign, complete with references to corrupt politicians, a war on
terror and decidedly unhealthy healthcare system ("You got enough money, we'll
get you fixed up quick"). This political stance isn't kept up throughout the
entire album, but it definitely sets a certain intense, occasionally sarcastic
atmosphere. Allegedly, the Dowd-penned "Bozo" is a leftover from the Neon
Baptist-days, but its tex mex-styled rhythm (which also recur on "Girl"
and "I Don't Wanna," which Los Lobos really should record) and croaky vocals
aren't anything like the pristine-sounding, bedroom-ready PC-muzak a lot of
roots albums have become. Elsewhere, the band conjures a fiery racket ("Angel
of Mercy") and explores groovier territory: the bass-line of "Carl" screams
BAYOU!, while the acoustic/electric-approach of "Jamie" almost recalls
the CCR's feverish "Run Through the Jungle." Whereas these tracks are responsible
for the album's darker sounds, things lighten up considerably (stylistically,
that is) on the almost danceable "Daddy" and the extended, psychedelic, hypno-groove
of "Big Truck, Little Dog," which features some terrific semi-demented guitar
soloing. All things considered, Joejo is unlikely to appeal to the average
rock fan who'd rather be spoon-fed his daily dose of prefab rock, but for
fans of creative roots-rock with an edge, Cowpunk from Willseyville
is required listening.
Read album reviews of similar or related artists: Hubcap - Johnny Dowd - Coal Palace Kings