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Cotton Crown
Cotton Crown in Bloomington, MN
Current price: $14.99
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Size: CD
With their early singles and 2023 debut LP,
Dead Meat
, London-based band
the Tubs
put together a sound unlike many of their contemporaries. The songs were fast but clean; punk in terms of tempos and lyrical themes of frustration but with sharp, jangly performances instead of fuzzy abandon. Perhaps what stood out most about
was the unambiguous influence of U.K. folk-rock. Vocalist
Owen Williams
' steady, metered singing conveys some of the same weightiness and ache of
Richard Thompson
in his
Fairport Convention
days, serious and slightly melancholy even when shouting over a pub rock instrumental. The band's second album,
Cotton Crown
, doesn't deviate too much from the unique sound they established on the first record, but it sharpens certain details. The overall production is a few shades clearer than
, and the more intricate guitar parts in particular stand out. Sprightly pop tunes like "Narcissist" and "The Thing Is" are heavy on crisp,
Johnny Marr
-esque guitar leads and the supportive jangle of layered acoustic guitars. On these songs and the jumpy "Freak Mode,"
land somewhere between the peppy gloom of
the Smiths
, the impatient pop of
Hüsker Dü
, and the sad longing that bands like
the Field Mice
or
Felt
translated into guitar hooks so well. On several songs,
Lan McCardle
reprises the guest vocalist role she played on
, and her airy voice punctuates the lightning-fast changes in arrangements.
starts out in high gear and occasionally ramps things up even further. "Chain Reaction" rips out of the gate and never slows down, with the band's U.K. folk jangle momentarily morphing into redlined pub punk reminiscent of
Royal Headache
. Closing track "Strange" drives home how much more sophisticated the band has grown, spending the album's final few moments in sentimental reflection with one of its most thoughtful and dynamic instrumental compositions. The steps forward on
are subtle but undeniable, with
' vision growing clearer through these increasingly enjoyable and well-crafted songs. ~ Fred Thomas
Dead Meat
, London-based band
the Tubs
put together a sound unlike many of their contemporaries. The songs were fast but clean; punk in terms of tempos and lyrical themes of frustration but with sharp, jangly performances instead of fuzzy abandon. Perhaps what stood out most about
was the unambiguous influence of U.K. folk-rock. Vocalist
Owen Williams
' steady, metered singing conveys some of the same weightiness and ache of
Richard Thompson
in his
Fairport Convention
days, serious and slightly melancholy even when shouting over a pub rock instrumental. The band's second album,
Cotton Crown
, doesn't deviate too much from the unique sound they established on the first record, but it sharpens certain details. The overall production is a few shades clearer than
, and the more intricate guitar parts in particular stand out. Sprightly pop tunes like "Narcissist" and "The Thing Is" are heavy on crisp,
Johnny Marr
-esque guitar leads and the supportive jangle of layered acoustic guitars. On these songs and the jumpy "Freak Mode,"
land somewhere between the peppy gloom of
the Smiths
, the impatient pop of
Hüsker Dü
, and the sad longing that bands like
the Field Mice
or
Felt
translated into guitar hooks so well. On several songs,
Lan McCardle
reprises the guest vocalist role she played on
, and her airy voice punctuates the lightning-fast changes in arrangements.
starts out in high gear and occasionally ramps things up even further. "Chain Reaction" rips out of the gate and never slows down, with the band's U.K. folk jangle momentarily morphing into redlined pub punk reminiscent of
Royal Headache
. Closing track "Strange" drives home how much more sophisticated the band has grown, spending the album's final few moments in sentimental reflection with one of its most thoughtful and dynamic instrumental compositions. The steps forward on
are subtle but undeniable, with
' vision growing clearer through these increasingly enjoyable and well-crafted songs. ~ Fred Thomas
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