Well, I think it's safe to say that your attention span is probably that of an amoeba if you are browsing tEh intOrwebz for bands and music reviews, so I'll keep it short for you: this is country music played by punks. From Gainesville, Florida. Two people from Whiskey & Co. also play in The Takers. And it's a great fucking record. Now go out and buy this. Thank you. You can now close your browser window.(End transmission.)
But if you like to read more, be my guest. I was stoked when this album arrived here. Country music, punks, Florida, drinking songs, how could I go wrong? The answer is easy: if you like traditional music, this should be on your shopping list. The early 1970s saw the rise of a movement called "outlaw country", taken from a Waylon Jennings song. In retrospect it's kind of funny to think about Waylon Jennings or even Willie Nelson as outlaws, when there's people like Hank Williams III or even David Allen Coe taking things much, much further in every aspect. But hey, then again... the Sex Pistols were once called "punk", and look at them now. So there.
So in that sense, yes, The Takers are outlaws: the nice kind of outlaws, with "one hand on the bottle, one foot in the grave." They are punks. Their brand of country is PUNK without a doubt, even though it doesn't sound like it. Your dad might like it. What makes it punk is that they take a genre of music that's traditionally reactionary and conversative, even unabashedly racist and nationalist at times, and put it back where it belongs: in the hands of the people. There is no ambition for stardom, for radio play, for money and groupies, it's just about putting feelings in a song. It's about fucking up and losing, being honest about it, and still flipping the bird to the man and the bosses. In my book, this is much more punk than clean cut white middle class straight edge kids talking about a "crew" or whatever. This is real music by real people. This is a great record.
www.suburbanhomerecords.com
