The Baptist Generals-Dog that Bite You/Broken Glass

The last time the Baptist Generals released an album was No Silver/No Gold way back in the distant land of 2003. Back then I was still very much a child and didn't have the faintest idea what indie music was, or that a band like The Baptist Generals could even exist. In fact, the Baptist Generals probably would have remained forever unknown to me if they hadn't finally announced their new album Jackleg Devotional to the Heart. I don't honestly know how Baptist Generals sounded previously, but it seems like they haven't lost a single step, especially while listening to "Dog that Bite You". A blaring, rustic, Neil Young worthy riff rings like a siren through the track, signaling how alive the band is, as everything falls in lockstep behind it. The drums hold steady, and the secondary electric and acoustic guitars provide the tracks momentum while Chris Flemmons' wiry vocals level out weary aches of the heart. All the while little string, horn, and piano notes pop and out of the track at just the right moments that always give songs like this that extra touch that make them ever so more delicious.



What's wonderful about Baptist Generals, at least with the tastes I've gotten, is how they are not content laying on just one sound. "Broken Glass" sounds almost nothing like "Dog that Bite You", instead tapping much deeper into their indie-folk sound. Opening with an extended xylophone riff that gives the song an almost indie-pop feel, the track has a raw, urgent feel, reinforced by all the dynamic shifts the song takes; sad guitar plucking to a full-band rush in for the chorus to the quick fall off and the staggered realization all in one fell swoop. It's something to behold, and above all else shows how effortlessly Baptist Generals are able to pull from a deep, love laden, emotional well and channel that through Neil Youth worthy scorchers.



Links:

The Baptist Generals' Website
Pre-order Jackleg Devotional to the Heart here, from Sub Pop