awesome band and a great bunch of guys. i wish they'd put out a live version of their first album. broken boy soldiers is good, btu when you hear those songs worked out live, its a whole new animal, and quite epic. it makes the album sound like a demo. thankfully, i have some great soundboard recordings of live shows, but still....
blue veins is one of the greatest love songs i've ever heard. especially hearing live 8 minute renditions with completely sick and passionate guitar solos from jack. and carolina drama is quite the dramatic and operatic tale, taking the best inspirations from desire era dylan.
i also love their choice of covers. rich kid blues (terry reid) is the only cover to show up on an album, but theres some choice covers in their live sets: teenage kicks (the undertones), heading for the texas border (flamin' groovies), bang bang (nancy sinatra).
much of the attention towards the band goes towards jack and brendan. but the rhythm section made up of little jack and patrick keeler is one of the best and tightest in modern music. the fact that they've been playing together for over a decade really shows. little jack is a true musician and phenomenal bassist, and keeler is hands down the best drummer in music today, the dude is a modern day mitch mitchell. i think brendan is the weak link in the band. quality musician, and a great pop artist. but when compared to the rest of the band, he comes up short. considering the history of the band members, i would have much preferred Johnny Walker of the soledad brothers/cut in the hill gang.
BANG BANG/BROKEN BOY SOLDIER
BLUE VEINS
