Slight shifts of wording or inflections can change things. For instance, “bring the wagons in a circle”. Cut from the American West, the phrase once meant shelter from danger. It has moved on and become a way to keep ideas in-house, a way for a small group, even one, to be protected from an enemy or simply someone out to take your stuff. Stick a cap into the middle of the sentence, “bring the Wagons in a circle”, and it becomes more of a challenge. Wagons, the band are flexible and probably bendable given the right time/place/motivation but bringing them into a situation that is defined by borders, closing them in with say, a circle, is not an option.
Wagons have delivered “Rumble, Shake and Tumble” and like the title, the band offer lots of options with their music. They can be filed into the ever expanding world of Alt Country but even that is a limitation. There is a common factor in Wagons song, however. Rule number
one is that they have to be big. The power of rock is cast across bombastic arrangements as guitar distortion lassoes chords and notes. Opener “Downlow” stamps out a marching four-time beat before exploding into hammer hit drumming and knuckle shredding power chords. The song sets up a getaway, traveling in the dark for a brighter future. The band carve their name into deep down country and claim head space with the perfect riffs to stick on your mind with sharpened hooks and claws. Heading the Wagons train, lead singer and main songwriter Henry Wagons has a guttural bellow that has way too much character and resonance to ever seem like a growl. For sourcing on where his vocals range, place him somewhere between Johnny Cash and Nick Cave with a dash of Leonard Cohen. Henry Wagons’ natural low register frames words with emotion. He is the kind of guy whose voice that takes charge. Lost your way? Henry Wagons is your guy. Even when seeking personal salvation, like on “Save Me”. What starts out as a lone voice in the chorus wilderness comes out with lots of friends echoing the title march forward as a united front.
Mostly, a promise is no more than that….a promise. Wagons make sure that they serve up exactly what the album
title claims on ‘Rumble, Shake and Tumble’. The band uses love as confession in “I Blew It”, cruising along on a rockabilly roots rumble. Beats and chords tumble over and around as an anvil-solid chorus chants “it’s sizzling, crackling, smoking and fizzling”, fanning the flames on “Love Is Burning” and shakes AM gold-dust glitter across “Moon Into the Sun”. “Life’s Too Short” takes a back porch breather as the album heads towards closer “Mary Lou”. The story line in “Mary Lou” leads the pain of lost love down a sonic feedback drenched rabbit hole before breaking into a solo acoustic guitar reverie that is wrapped gently in soft organ tones.
Wagons have been hailed as one of Australia’s best kept secrets in their homeland. They come up from down under with music marinated in dark country rock to stalk stages in the land of sweat equity opportunity. Henry Wagons is happy about it, “I'm chomping at the bit in anticipation, looking forward to getting my guitar hands dirty on American soil. The opportunity to play music in and around the source of so much inspiration has me foaming at the mouth.”
Wagons track “I Blew It” was picked by NPR radio for song of the day. The video for the track was selected by The Alternate Root for the debut issue. More on Wagons can be found online.
