Cowboy Junkies (from the album Such Ferocious Beauty

Cowboy Junkies (from the album Such Ferocious Beauty

Cowboy Junkies (from the album Such Ferocious Beauty available on Latent Recordings/Cooking Vinyl Ltd.) (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
Some folks might be inclined to agree that the Cowboy Junkies have never been known as the most upbeat ensemble. They’re given to a decided cerebral sensibility, a feeling of forlorn inevitability that lingers in the form of melancholic melodies and various degrees of ever-insistent despair. The band, made up of three siblings — singer Margo Timmins, guitarist Michael Timmins, and drummer Peter Timmins — along with bassist Alan Anton, consistently embrace a contemplative sound and make no excuses for whatever dire and despondent impressions linger in its wake.
 
That scenario shifts to a certain extent with the band’s current release, its third effort in as many years. While the title, Such Ferocious Beauty, doesn’t necessarily suggest any change in tack, there are some subtle distinctions that occasionally come to the fore. Both “Flood” and “Mike Tyson (Here It Comes)” infuse an ethereal ambiance within their tenuous trappings, while “Hell is Real” is clearly as eerie as its telltale title implies. “Shadows 2” boasts a somewhat ragged rhythm, but nothing to disrupt the mellower mood that pervades the proceedings overall.
 
That said, the band’s penchant for quiet contemplation still manages to underscore it all, and while the band’s lethargic lilt doesn’t always hint at deeper designs, a closer listen to the lyrics makes it clear the band does indeed possess some cautious concerns. Opening track “What I Lost” makes that clear:
 
‘I woke up this morning,
I didn’t know who I was,
I looked at the room
and didn’t know where I was
Or if I ever was…’

Most of the songs convey that same sense of alienation and unease, all part and parcel of an attempt to come to grips with mortality and the unsettled nature of life itself. It may seem more sedate than substantive, but regardless, that unsettling undercurrent remains all but unavoidable as well.
 
Clearly then, Such Ferocious Beauty holds true to its name, giving reason to believe the group’s no longer content to merely maintain a sedentary state. Ultimately, it’s the subtle distinctions that provide the most pertinent perspective. (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
Listen and buy the music of Cowboy Junkies from AMAZON
 
Please go to the Cowboy Junkies website for more purchase and artist information