The Starvations: One Long Night
EP
Kapow Records
http://www.kapowrecords.com
Being from the South, I have a soft spot in my heart for the sad-sack qualities
of Country music. I love the desperate lyrics, the twangy, cheap sound and
it's ability to instill in me the desire to buy a shotgun and chew tobacco.
The Starvations are not Country nor are they Rockabilly. These guys recall
the sound all right, but the lyrics are so artfully written, each song so
seriously constructed that it cannot be written off into any specific genre
as a cheap imitation. The misery and angst that throbs out of each track on
One Long Night is fraught with death, lost loves, and unfortunate circumstances.
Picture a group of drunks in a bar, all too aware of their hopeless situation,
still crowing for another drink even though it might be their last. This is
the world of The Starvations. The pounding drums and wailing guitars are grouped
with singer Gabriel Scarecrow's haunting voice, which wraith-like, paints
a picture of darkness and despair that claws at your brain, plaintively begging
you to listen. The nostalgically beautiful song One Long Night is reason
enough to buy the EP and will remind those for whom life's regrets retain
a certain clarity that, to quote Mr. Scarecrow, "This life's been one
long night".
-John Southern