12:46AM
06/21/07, 11:07 PM
The Snake The Cross The Crown - Cotton Teeth
Release Date: March 20
Record Label: Equal Vision Records (http://equalvision.com/)
The five members of The Snake The Cross The Crown are no strangers to progression. The stylistic leap that they made between their generic debut EP, Like A Moth Before The Flame (2003), and their ingenious full-length debut, Mander Salis was enormous. Fortunately for listeners, however, the leap to their latest release, Cotton Teeth, is slightly less drastic. Though more mature and honest this time around, the band still retains their “folk-inspired rock” sound. Kevin Jones’ pipes remain as strong as ever and the refreshing composition is thankfully here to stay.
A simple stomp-stomp-stomp-clap beat is utilized in the opening track, “Cakewalk”. One of the strongest songs on the album, “Cakewalk” slowly builds from a slow, plucking guitar into a rising crescendo complete with an organ, electric guitars, and multiple vocals. The next track, “The Great American Smokeout”, kicks it up a notch (BAM!). It's an upbeat little ditty that, unless mine ears doth deceive me, features a maraca and banjo combo.
The seven-minute “Electronic Dream Plant” is yet another stand-out track. It takes a while to get started, but when it does, it raises quite a ruckus. It trails off with “na-na-na-nas” and the line, “Save your sorrow, old eyes can make a mother cry”, which you’ll be sure to sing along to. In “Hey Jim”, The Snake The Cross The Crown crack open their tackle boxes and pull out their pointiest hooks to catch some listeners’ ears. You'll find yourself hard-pressed not to take the bait; the closing lines of this song will get stuck in your head for days. I guarantee it. They also pulled some tasty imagery out of their bag of tricks: “Jaws started dropping as them crops bowed down to the ground, and then the leaves turned to brown dust a-blowin’ into town as the people rode out, cause they were hungry as hell.”
“Floating In & Out” shines once it hits the simple, monotonous drum-beat and whistle breakdown. I like breakdowns and I like whistles even more. If a band puts them together, they’ve got me sold. SCC seems to be writing an album solely for my enjoyment. The beat continues as Jones’ trademark croon soars overhead accompanied by some additional vocals. “Maps” is a fairly straightforward acoustic track. The voice is what sells it; I’m telling you, this guy’s pipes are strong enough to save pretty much any song.
I’ve been waiting a fairly long time for this release. I was feeling pretty nervous (as is the case with any long awaited albums), but, simply put, Cotton Teeth is a definite contender for “album of the year” and is the best release of ’07 thus far. The album might lose your attention after a few tracks, but it will grab it right back eventually. Even though Jones slurs on occasion and he may need to work on his annunciation; that’s part of his appeal. At least people don’t think he’s “also into cats” or something when they're listening to him. And sure, you may not be too into “folk-inspired rock”, but The Snake The Cross The Crown has a way of keeping it fresh and unique. Sink your cotton teeth into this album and hopefully you'll find it as tasty as I did.
"Cakewalk", "The Great American Smokeout", "Electronic Dream Plant"
Tracklisting:
Cakewalk
The Great American Smokeout
Gypsy Melodies
Cotton Teeth
Electronic Dream Plant
Behold The River
Hey Jim
Floating In & Out
Maps
Back To The Helicopter
MySpace (http://myspace.com/snakecrosscrown), Purevolume (http://purevolume.com/thesnakethecrossthecrown), Official Site (http://snakecrosscrown.com), Buy (http://merchnow.com/store/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=m&Category_Code=SCC)
Release Date: March 20
Record Label: Equal Vision Records (http://equalvision.com/)
The five members of The Snake The Cross The Crown are no strangers to progression. The stylistic leap that they made between their generic debut EP, Like A Moth Before The Flame (2003), and their ingenious full-length debut, Mander Salis was enormous. Fortunately for listeners, however, the leap to their latest release, Cotton Teeth, is slightly less drastic. Though more mature and honest this time around, the band still retains their “folk-inspired rock” sound. Kevin Jones’ pipes remain as strong as ever and the refreshing composition is thankfully here to stay.
A simple stomp-stomp-stomp-clap beat is utilized in the opening track, “Cakewalk”. One of the strongest songs on the album, “Cakewalk” slowly builds from a slow, plucking guitar into a rising crescendo complete with an organ, electric guitars, and multiple vocals. The next track, “The Great American Smokeout”, kicks it up a notch (BAM!). It's an upbeat little ditty that, unless mine ears doth deceive me, features a maraca and banjo combo.
The seven-minute “Electronic Dream Plant” is yet another stand-out track. It takes a while to get started, but when it does, it raises quite a ruckus. It trails off with “na-na-na-nas” and the line, “Save your sorrow, old eyes can make a mother cry”, which you’ll be sure to sing along to. In “Hey Jim”, The Snake The Cross The Crown crack open their tackle boxes and pull out their pointiest hooks to catch some listeners’ ears. You'll find yourself hard-pressed not to take the bait; the closing lines of this song will get stuck in your head for days. I guarantee it. They also pulled some tasty imagery out of their bag of tricks: “Jaws started dropping as them crops bowed down to the ground, and then the leaves turned to brown dust a-blowin’ into town as the people rode out, cause they were hungry as hell.”
“Floating In & Out” shines once it hits the simple, monotonous drum-beat and whistle breakdown. I like breakdowns and I like whistles even more. If a band puts them together, they’ve got me sold. SCC seems to be writing an album solely for my enjoyment. The beat continues as Jones’ trademark croon soars overhead accompanied by some additional vocals. “Maps” is a fairly straightforward acoustic track. The voice is what sells it; I’m telling you, this guy’s pipes are strong enough to save pretty much any song.
I’ve been waiting a fairly long time for this release. I was feeling pretty nervous (as is the case with any long awaited albums), but, simply put, Cotton Teeth is a definite contender for “album of the year” and is the best release of ’07 thus far. The album might lose your attention after a few tracks, but it will grab it right back eventually. Even though Jones slurs on occasion and he may need to work on his annunciation; that’s part of his appeal. At least people don’t think he’s “also into cats” or something when they're listening to him. And sure, you may not be too into “folk-inspired rock”, but The Snake The Cross The Crown has a way of keeping it fresh and unique. Sink your cotton teeth into this album and hopefully you'll find it as tasty as I did.
"Cakewalk", "The Great American Smokeout", "Electronic Dream Plant"
Tracklisting:
Cakewalk
The Great American Smokeout
Gypsy Melodies
Cotton Teeth
Electronic Dream Plant
Behold The River
Hey Jim
Floating In & Out
Maps
Back To The Helicopter
MySpace (http://myspace.com/snakecrosscrown), Purevolume (http://purevolume.com/thesnakethecrossthecrown), Official Site (http://snakecrosscrown.com), Buy (http://merchnow.com/store/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=m&Category_Code=SCC)