Artist: Ramblin' Bones & His Bloody Agents
Title: Ramblin' Bones & His Bloody Agents
Label: Cocktail Records
Year Of Release: 2011
Ramblin' Bones & His Bloody Agents, in case you hadn't noticed, have been not-so-quietly doing their thing for the last couple of years in and around Joburg and further afield. Their music could be labelled broadly with words like acoustic, ska, swing, blues, punk, folk and even country thrown in here and there, but it's better to listen to the album and draw your own conclusions.
Ramblin' Bones' frontman, Jay “Jebidiah” Bones, is familiar to the legions of SA music fans who first knew him as the face of legendary ska-punkers Fuzigish. Bones' current partners in crime, the Bloody Agents, are Eric Wright on bass and Leighton “Baron Von Danger” Powell on drums. The result is a musically tight trio who deliver the goods with infectious energy and a large dose of humour, and anyone who has seen them in the flesh will know that their live show is a blast, full of stage antics and banter.
Ramblin' Bones & His Bloody Agents is also one of the first full-length records to emerge from Steve Grenfell's Get Phat Studios, in Joburg. Grenfell, a respected engineer who has worked largely in live sound with numerous local bands for many years, has begun to turn his attention to studio work, and the results speak for themselves – hopefully Get Phat Studios will be turning out more good product in the near future.
The album's spare production and the relative simplicity of the combination of instruments mean that the personalities of Bones and his Agents come through loud and clear, fueling songs that are snapshots of loves past and present, reflections on life on the road and jabs at the authorities. The pace is often frenetic, sometimes mellow but never formulaic, and Bones' years of experience as a songwriter make for zippy arrangements and great lyrics. This album is a refreshing reminder that less is often more. Rogan Kelsey of Lapdust Studios stepped up for mastering duties, and his customary polish ties the whole thing together nicely. The cover artwork deserves a mention as well, with Nicci Martin's darkly humorous cartooning adding an element of quirk that fits the band exactly.
Ramblin' Bones & His Bloody Agents are about to head out on the road - first to the Cape and then overseas. For a decent dose of high-spirited anarchy, get yourself to a show and get your hands on this new release.
More info at www.ramblingbones.com
MIO Ratings:
Technical: 4/5 | Cover art: 4/5 | “I Like It” Factor: 4.5/5
MIO Rating: 8/10
