Clawhammer
7-Inch Record
Wee Rock Records [2013]
When your inbox is crammed with new music, band names are always the first thing that sticks out. When we received the new 7-inch record from Springfield, Missouri’s Clawhammer, I instantly expected some sort of punk rock maybe even a metal mix type of record. To our surprise Clawhammer melds the traditional Ozark instruments of banjo, washboard and harmonies with a background of synths, pedals and mixers. They also keep things fresh and do not use any pre-recorded loops. This combo makes for a very entertaining 7-inch.
The A-side “I Think I Heard A Sound” grabs you instantly with its opening picking before the female lead quietly sings the opening line. The song is very dark as the lyric “I have a shotgun in my lap because I know you are coming back” does not point to a surprise party. It is this cool swagger that makes the song very engaging and the vocals remind me of Veronica Falls if they were more folk and the music is very 16 Horsepowerish. The B-side “Hell” is a fun romp over the washboard as you can chime in “I’m going to hell – yeah”. Simple but effective. These two songs are very strong and we would be totally up to check out a full length in the future from Clawhammer based on their quality.
The jacket here is a standard art filled cardboard that folds over like a book to hold the record. The 45 rpm wax is a standard black and it comes with a digital download that gives you two bonus live tracks.
Clawhammer Facebook
Wee Rock Records
-Feature by Christopher Anthony
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