Reigning Sound – Shattered (Merge)
Most old dudes get cranky and bitter on the topic of love,
especially in the oft-snarling genre of garage rock. Greg Cartwright, on the
other hand, is the sort of sweetheart who still sings lines like: “Your kisses
leave me wanting more / I’ve never loved a girl like this before.” Really? The
guy is 42 years old. Either he’s been incredibly sheltered his entire life
(highly doubtful, considering his resumé), or he’s an eternal optimist and
romantic. He’s also a realist: love is not perfect, and it always comes with
some baggage: “I saw the scar on the back of your arm / that’s when you told me
the story / of all who came before me and what remains.”
Cartwright is best known (if he’s known at all) for his role in
the Oblivians, a Memphis act that was one of the leading garage rock revival
groups (which predated the White Stripes); in Toronto, he’s also known for
producing the Deadly Snakes and serving some time in the band as a guitarist.
Reigning Sound has been around since 2001; this is the group’s first album for
Merge Records, and was made at the Daptone Studios in Brooklyn (Sharon Jones,
Antibalas), even though Cartwright now lives in the hippie mountain town of
Asheville, N.C.
Age and Asheville have softened his edges; there are some lovely
string sections on here to augment his swoonier moments, for starters. Fans of
his ramshackle rock’n’roll past will still finds lot to love here, however.
“I’m still trying to be the man you need,” is the last line he sings on the
album. No problem there.
Download: "Never Coming Home," "Falling Rain," "My My"
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