By Geoff Topley
Glasgow four piece Three Blind Wolves, fresh from touring with Frightened Rabbit, have just released their debut album Sing Hallelujah For The Old Machine. Already, mainstream radio is picking up on them and there's more touring in the pipeline. It's not hard to hear that this band have been playing/touring together for years as the quality in the musicianship is of a very high standard. Without reading the PR or seeing pictures of the band, on first listen you would genuinely think that this was a band pulled from the archives of some old 70s vinyl store.
The outstanding feature of Three Blind Wolves is undoubtedly singer Ross Clark and his vocal stylings. His voice is a combination of Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock's quirky yelps, Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline cold enforced nasal drone and Jim James' kermit-isms; to name but a few.
Ross is all over this record, literally, at every opportunity he sings whether it's required or not. Unfortunately this is not a good thing, nor is his over-pronunciation of words like "I'm" (deep breath-Hyaaaaam), "I'll" (deep breath-Hyaaaaaaal) and basically adding an extra H where possible. Over the course of the record, it becomes so outstandingly irritating that it consumes what is, a rather curious and at times, special debut.
Things get off to a great start with 'Honey Fire', sounding like a heavier, scuzzier Gomez, it's a fine bluesy rolling track that ends with a swinging metallic wig-out. I was genuinely impressed not really knowing what to expect. 'Edgar's Church' starts off as a country ballad before ending up with another monster metallic grooving finale; the My Morning Jacket comparisons definitely showing through in the heavy grooves.
As I said at the start, these guys can play, they can also sing too, the harmonising on 'Farmer With A Pulse' is almost barbershop quartet-like, but the song is one of the first to show signs of the irk-factor; too clever for its own good, I just don't ever want to hear it again.
Contrast this with the last 20 seconds of 'Gold On The Cross', the only intervention of a stunning falsetto, I'd have loved to have heard more of this soaring vocal, not the hoe-down low-down over exaggerated yee-har mannerisms that permeate throughout.
There are two tracks that did stand out for me, 'Sex is Loosers' is a Kings of Leon-esque tune that bursts into a finale of squalling guitars. The other is 'I'll Put You In The Ground', which is a tremendous campfire sing-along with country choir, like a whoopin' and a hollerin' Arcade Fire. Sounds odd? Sounds great.
Three Blind Wolves are probably destined for bigger things, their work ethic seems to be set to the notch marked 'Full Steam' and this curious mix of country/folk/pop has a wide appeal these days. Usually, it takes a few albums for vocalist like Clark to really start to push any extreme mannerisms to the point of irritation, he's gone for it so soon; I shudder to think where it'll end up. It's unfortunate that Clark, who at his worst, reminded me of that hideous Cadet Zed character in the Police Academy films, can't reign it in a bit. If he could, I'd have been much more appreciative of this album.
