SWEETHEARTS OF THE PRISON RODEO-ON THE DESOLATE HILLSIDE.

dereksmusicblog ♦ October 1, 2013 ♦ Leave a comment

SWEETHEARTS OF THE PRISON RODEO-ON THE DESOLATE HILLSIDE.

Sweethearts  Of The Prison Rodeo are no ordinary band. Far from it. The Falkirk based Sweethearts  Of The Prison Rodeo describe the music on their debut album, On The Desolate Hillside, as freak-country-folk. Released recently on Adam Stafford’s Glasgow label Wiseblood Industries, On The Desolate Hillside showcases a cerebral band. After all, not many bands record songs about regression, religion, fashionistas, politics, greedy bankers and pollen distribution. The Queens Of The Prison Rodeo do, and that’s why On The Desolate Hillside is a truly compelling debut album from the Falkirk collective.

For those unfamiliar with Scottish geography, Falkirk, which Sweethearts  Of The Prison Rodeo call home, is in central Scotland. It’s smack bang between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Anyone whose taken a train between the two cities, will have passed by Falkirk, which has a thriving music scene. Two of the most recent graduates from Falkirk’s music scene are End Of Neil and Sweethearts Of The Prison Rodeo. Both are just embarking on their musical careers.

As for Sweethearts Of The Prison Rodeo, their discography numbers just one E.P, a single and their debut album On The Desolate Hillside. Sweethearts Of The Prison Rodeo’s first release was the Split E.P. This saw them start as they meant to go on. It was released on a limited edition orange cassette. Then came their double-A-sided single. Featuring Fashionable Buddhas and Solitary Rabbit, the single was a statement of intent. Released on Wiseblood Industries, it featured searing social commentary and wry, surreal humor. This whetted the appetite for Sweethearts Of The Prison Rodeo’s debut album On The Desolate Hillside.

The ten songs on On The Desolate Hillside are written by Sweethearts  Of The Prison Rodeo’s songwriter-in-chief D.King, who the band is built around. By referring to himself as D.King, this adds an air of mystery, to a band already steeped in mystery. An aura surrounds the four members of Sweethearts  Of The Prison Rodeo. It certainly did, during the lost weekend in Killin, Perthshire, when On The Desolate Hillside was recorded. D. King was joined by the beat and loop-meister Adam Stafford, bassist and steel guitarist Robbie Lesiuk and Julian Tonner. Most of On The Desolate Hillside was recorded during what the band describe as a lost weekend in Killin, Perthshire. Additional recording took place in Carron and Larbert, with Adam Stafford producing On The Desolate Hillside. Once On The Desolate Hillside was completed, Julian Corrie mixed the album. It was then released on Wiseblood Industries.

On The Desolate Hillside is no ordinary album. It’s handmade and embraces the D.I.Y. ethos of punk and post punk. Designed by Julian Tonner, it’s a mini work of art. The drawings add to the power of the music on On The Desolate Hillside. Described by Sweethearts  Of The Prison Rodeo as: “a panoply of music and song, poetry and pictures for your enjoyment” that’s a pretty good description of On The Desolate Hillside. Let’s see if I can add to that.

Opening On The Desolate Hillside is The Weather Report Is Grim And Dark. A crackly radio being tuned gives way to a crystalline guitar. As it’s deliberately strummed, it accompanies a guttural vocal, full of frustration. Reminiscent of Arab Strap, there’s no attempt to disguise its Scottishness. As he comes to terms with the grim and dark weather, the rest of Sweethearts  Of The Prison Rodeo add mocking harmonies. They tell him the sun has gone back in. Quintessentially Scottish in sound and subject matter, folk, alternative and indie combine.

The Solitary Rabbit features a warts and all performance from Queens Of The Prison Rodeo. After fluffing his opening line, a deliberate definite guitar solo gives way to a tender, melancholy vocal from D. King. Accompanied by singalong harmonies, D. King sings about regression. Having been hypnotized, he discovers that in a past life, he was a rabbit. Although slightly surreal, it’s melodic and showcases Queens Of The Prison Rodeo’s cerebral side.

Fashionable Buddhas is one of my favorite songs on On The Desolate Hillside. It’s the perfect description of a certain type of person who embraces religion for fashion rather than faith. You’ll come across them in Kensington and Morningside. Searing guitars and oompa harmonies are combined with Ennio Morricone influence. Then comes D. King’s vocal. He almost spits out what are articulate and intelligent lyrics. Seeing religion treated as fashion item disgusts him, resulting in an impassioned, articulate polemic. 

According to the Sweethearts Of The Prison Rodeo, Hell Is Awaiting corrupt bankers, politicians and policemen. Again, the vocal is delivered with sheer disgust. Venom is a better description. D. King realizing we’ve been, as Johnny Rotten put it “conned,” unleashes his disgust at this betrayal. Meanwhile, the rest of the Sweethearts Of The Prison Rodeo portray the baying mob that should’ve awaited those that betrayed us. Truly, an impassioned performance.

Great Trees, Social Bees (World Transforming) is just a ninety minute sketch about….pollen distribution. It’s set against a backdrop of clocks, chatter and a radio playing. The vocal is accompanied by a penny whistle, percussion and harmonies, tells combine history and humor, when comparing a bee hive to a factory during the Industrial Revolution.

Anomie Encumbrance has a real authentic America sound. As a bass bounds across the arrangement, hands clap, ethereal harmonies coo and a crystalline guitar chimes. Heartfelt and with a vocal that’s almost mid-Atlantic, the Sweethearts Of The Prison Rodeo enjoy their finest moment. Soulful and country-tinged, the Sweethearts Of The Prison Rodeo combine social comment and their cerebral side successfully.

Sci-fi synths opens Mappin, where everything from seventies Lou Reed and David Bowie, meet the The New York Dolls and Sensational Alex Harvey Band. Electronica, new wave, rock and indie combine while the vocal is sung through an effects processor. Soaring harmonies, synths and searing guitars provide the rocky backdrop to this genre-sprawling tale of how successive Conservative governments have tried to destroy the Welfare State. 

Break These Chains is very different to the previous track. Gone is the rocky sound of the previous track. This is much more understated sound suits the song. It allows you to focus on the lyrics, which ponder the possibilities of breaking the chains of D.N.A. Are we genetically hardwired to do or be something, or have we the choice to do or not to do something? Intelligent, thoughtful and thought-provoking describes this track.

Fittingly, there’s an air of mystery to Solemn As A Song. After all, there’s an air of mystery to Sweethearts Of The Prison Rodeo. Finding a house that’s been left unattended, provokes a multitude of questions. What happen here and to who? Fuzzy guitars and a deep, almost dark, broody vocal combine as this sombre, enigmatic song unfolds. 

Closing On The Desolate Hillside is the title-track. Just strummed guitars and a deliberate, folk-tinged vocal combine on this surreal tale of strange goings on “On The Desolate Hillside.” These strange goings on include murder. One of the victims is the first love of the great Scottish poet Edwin Morgan. Her body is discovered by the ghost Edwin Morgan “On The Desolate Hillside.” The result is a surreal fusion of folk, feedback and things that go bump in the night.

On The Desolate Hillside is very different to most debut albums I’ve come across. There’s an almost punk attitude to the Sweethearts Of The Prison Rodeo. It’s as if they’re doing things their way, or no way. That’s a very Scottish trait. We do things our way, or not at all. The same can be said of the Sweethearts Of The Prison Rodeo. After all, tales of regression, murder, bankers burning in hell, fashionistas and ghosts finding murder victims on hillsides isn’t what you’d expect on a debut album. What you find on the Sweethearts Of The Prison Rodeo’s debut album On The Desolate Hillside, is a fusion of musical genres and influences.

Described freak-country-folk, I’d add to that indie, new wave, soul and punk. Influences include everyone from the usual Lou Reed, David Bowie and New York Dolls, through to the Ennio Morricone, Sensational Alex Harvey Band, The Proclaimers, Arab Strap and R.M. Hubbert. This eclectic mix of influences combined with the cerebral, articulate, sometimes surreal and mystical lyrics of D. King are a potent combination. Full of searing social comment, anger and frustration, he articulates the anger many people feel at the corruption in society. So, D. King’s lyrics on On The Desolate Hillside voice our concerns, frustrations and anger. He’s our conscience and voice, one that’s articulate and cerebral. For that we should be grateful. We should also be grateful for On The Desolate Hillside, the Sweethearts Of The Prison Rodeo’s debut album.

Hand-crafted, and the result of a cottage-industry of musicians, illustrators and producers, On The Desolate Hillside is more that what the Sweethearts Of The Prison Rodeo call: “a panoply of music and song, poetry and pictures for your enjoyment.”  Far from it. Impassioned, angry, articulate, cerebral and speaking for those who can’t speak for themselves, describes On The Desolate Hillside, a searing, impassioned, rant from the Sweethearts Of The Prison Rodeo. Let’s hope, On The Desolate Hillside, is the first of many from Sweethearts Of The Prison Rodeo. Standout Tracks: The Solitary Rabbit, Fashionable Buddhas, Break These Chains and Solemn As A Song.

SWEETHEARTS OF THE PRISON RODEO-ON THE DESOLATE HILLSIDE.