Texas Rose is a kind of ambient country album that uncoils lazily like a strip of tarmac in the desert while frontman Ray Raposa recounts his dark tales in a comfortably worn in voice.
The Castanets bring some fresh ideas to alternative country. There is a psychedelic edge that adds a sense of spaciousness that transcends country and gives a filmic quality to ‘Texas Rose’. Sit down, lie down even, and listen.
Listen good, because Ray has got a way with words. Like on ‘Dance, Dance’, a song about a ‘love so bitter so taxing so sad it was alarming’. Wait for the straw that finally brakes the camel’s back: Ray wakes up one day and finds that ‘even the good neighbours kids they seemed more vicious than charming’. You could say that this a bit random or you could say it’s rather well observed - You decide.
Raposa is not your typical alternative country bard and years of touring with unusual sparring partners such as Scout Niblett or Michael Gira of slow-motion metal pioneers Swans have left their traces. The Castanet’s music quotes experimental music and No Wave as easily as down home country.
You’ll find echoes of No Wave artist Rhys Chatham’s walls of electric guitars as well as fleeting hints of minimalist composer Steve Reich on ‘Texas Rose’, yet you can hum along to most songs here within the first verse. ‘Texas Rose’ is catchy yet challenging enough to come back for another listen.
If you like your music a bit dark, a bit melancholic and peppered with the odd hint at primal instincts, then ‘Texas Rose’ is your kind of album. Fans of Micah P. Hinson, Giant Sand or Nick Cave should definitely give Castanets a try.
Listen to ‘Worn From The Fight (With Fireworks)’ by the Castanets or right click to download the track for free!
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If you like Castanets, you may also like:
Giant Sand
Micah P. Hinson
Nick Cave
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy
Peasant
