Kingdoms of folly --- Black Bayou Construkt --- 2009 (Golar Wash Labs & Records)
I really hate it when I can't find much information on a band! Wiki has zip, discogs says “Wha?” and the only information I can dig up on this enigmatic band is from their own MySpace page --- which again I don't like; not theirs in particular, just MySpace in general --- so I guess I had better let the band do the introductions. From their MySpace:
Born: 2004 in the ashes of Santeria & numerous other Louisiana bands, Black Bayou is a psyouthern Gypsy-Death-Blues Atmospheric sextet that plays original compositions for The People. References nothing in the current over or underground, but is rooted in tradition and prone to experimental excursions of the atmospheric variety, which in some ways could be construed as a nod to the "jam band scene," albeit that would be the darker elements of said scene. Enough said, I believe.
So, this is their debut album, they hail from the Deep Sath, and claim to be unlike anything you've ever heard before. Well, that's a claim that's certainly been made before, sometimes to good effect, sometimes to bad. You have to admit though, the description of BBC (hah!) as a “psyouthern gypsy death blues atmospheric” band has to have piqued your curiosity. It certainly has made me want to hear just exactly what music with a wide-ranging tag like that sounds like.
So let's do that, shall we?
Well, it sounds fairly rock with guitar, drums and harmonica as “Jones for war” opens the album, nice southern boogie type of sound to it, gravelly rough vocals from mainman Dege Legg, kind of a mix of Molly Hatchet and Soul Asylum, with a shot of Squeeze thrown in. Seems Dege is aided on the gee-tar by Chad Viatar (great name for an axeman huh?) and a guy with the unlikely name of Hawley Joe Gary bashes the skins. Wailing violin from Esther Tyree takes us into “In search of...”, a mid-paced rocker with some effective piano courtesy of Sean Keating, Legg and Viatar's guitars howling back in desperation at Tyree's violin. A more restrained song this, with some good backing vocals, then we're into “Way of the lamb”, with a cool guitar intro, almost acoustic or semi-acoustic, kind of campfire-song style, with Legg stretching his vocal prowess and Tyree punching in with some pretty wild violin --- I know that's an adjective seldom used in concert with that instrument, but really, it fits: her violin is more like the cry of a wounded banshee or a howling coyote --- the song getting more intense and powerful as it goes along.
According to their bio on MySpace, Black Bayou Construkt spent much of their time in seedy hotels, trailer parks and old cars, particularly in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and you can hear that sense of loss and despair in their music, but transcending it is the determination to survive, to rebuild and not to give in. “Last man out of Babylon” is another of these type of songs, moody acoustic guitar painting the scene with an almost old western sound, the kind of song a cowboy might be found singing. Not in the same vein as Bon Jovi's “Wanted dead or alive”, but with a similar atmosphere. The electric guitar joining the acoustic really amps up the emotion in the song, whereas “Lonely street” is a more stripped-down effort built on electric guitar and bass, and featuring the return of Esther Tyree's mad violin, as well as piano passages from Sean Keating that fill out the melody but don't attempt to take it over.
A sort of amalgam of the styles of the Jam and the Police is what springs to mind as “The greater good” takes over, with hard, firm guitars and a semi-reggae beat sliding just a little into punk and then back again before it loses control. Nice little bass line helps to keep the song together, solid drumming from Gary and expressive and intense vocal from Legg. It's a short song, but “Killing time”, which follows it, is even shorter, just over two minutes. A much rockier song, it's constructed (hah! Again!) on a solid guitar riff, almost a nod to Black Sabbath, while “Movin' on” has to be what they call psychobilly, with a pretty healthy dose of Creedence Clearwater Revival helping it on and an infectious chorus.
Some powerful organ adds a punch to “Love song for the hated”, a slower song but not a ballad, quite commercial in its way, the organ reminding me of Nick Cave's “Henry's dream” album in places. Good little guitar solo too, though whether from Legg or Viatar I can't say. “Bombs away” goes back to the main rock style, with some very melodic guitar, the song bopping along at a decent pace, very catchy with a great guitar riff running through it, and Legg sounding quite Springsteenesque, then “Streets of no end” has a strong piano intro, running into what sounds like it may be a ballad, with Legg this time recalling the best of Bono: I could have seen this doing well as a single, though as I say information on BBC is scant to say the least, so I couldn't say if this actually happened.
Esther Tyree's violin makes a welcome return near the end of this song, and while “Streets of no end” is a little fast for a ballad, I'd probably class it as a semi-ballad. It certainly has the elements if not the tempo. Big country/blues number then in “All the king's men”, definite tinges of REM, perhaps a little Coldplay and a look in from the Hooters, really nice bit of slide guitar, and some soulful violin from Tyree as we head towards “Do you want me”, a country-sounding ballad led by Keating's piano lines aided by some more lovely slide guitar. Things stay slow and laidback for “The last laugh”, where again Tyree excels on the violin, with the album's title mentioned in the lyric, and then rather surprisingly, the closer is an absolute epic!
With so far the longest track hitting the five and a half minute mark, “Black is the night” is indeed unexpected, its almost thirteen minute length making it more than twice the length of the next longest, “Way of the lamb”. It opens on humming keys and hillbilly guitar, maybe even banjo but I don't think so. Sounds of thunder rend the air as the guitar picks its way through the opening melody, Esther's violin joining in before Dege Legg's voice comes in strong and clear, the music getting a little more full and intense as the drums kick in and electric guitar powers in. There's a strong sense of Delta blues about this, with some old-style country mixed in, the violin taking the song to other dimensions entirely, and what began simply has now become something of a powerhouse closer, and we're only at the four minute point, almost a third of the way through.
The violin is leading the way now as the song heads towards its sixth minute, almost the midway point, then it begins to slow down and sounds like it would end here, but shimmering keys and light percussion keep it going as some gentle guitar ushers it towards the ninth minute, some major feedback then building up as the drums start to get going properly for a moment, then it all drops away to the sounds of thunder and rain which goes on for some minutes, fading and getting further away, so that it would appear the song proper ends at around the nine and a half minute mark.
Inscrutable? Uncategorisable? I wouldn't go that far. It's rock music, tinged with country and blues and probably some folk, with the odd other influence thrown in for good measure. But if you like good, honest, earnest rock music with a lot to say, then it's unlikely you'll be disappointed with this album. It's certainly going to have a few more spins on my disk before too long. YouTubes for this band were hard to come by, as was information on them, so I'm assuming you may have a little trouble tracking down this, for the moment, their only album. But do make an effort: it'll be worth it, I promise.
TRACKLISTING
1. Jones for war
2. In search of...
3. Way of the lamb
4. Last man out of Babylon
5. Lonely street
6. The greater good
7. Killing time
8. Movin' on
9. Love song for the hated
10. Bombs away
11. Streets of no end
12. All the king's men
13. Do you want me
14. The last laugh
15. Black is the night