Maybe you missed it: That’s Him! That’s The Guy! – An Army Life

That’s Him! That’s The Guy! – An Army Life
Jumberlack 2009

Listen while reading:

Mutual Assured Destruction (from An Army Life)

Hawk Overhead (from An Army Life)
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A few days ago I wrote about White Pines’ new EP A Face Made Of Wood and here we go with another (indie) folk release from Jumberlack. Ken Sander  (the man behind the label) kindly asked me to give a listen to An Army Life by That’s Him! That’s The Guy! And so I did.

The first time I listened to the album I wasn’t that excited I have to admit. But maybe the situation was not the best because I had just one hour left before going to the doctor. And I hate them…so I really wasn’t in the mood to attentively listening to a record. And you all know how important the first impression is – in many cases it is decisive if you will hear an album more than once. But because I were aware of the context in which I was listening to An Army Life I decided not to overestimate the impression I got. I resolved to wait one day and then try it again.

Let me say just so: it worked out well for me and the album. Now I felt ready to assimilate it in the way it should be done. After a few hours of listening I was convinced that it is much better than I thought after first listen. That’s the reason I recommend David Martin’s and Joseph Scott’s music to you (and yes, you know the name Joseph Scott, because he is the brain behind White Pines).

What can you expect from An Army Life? I would say you can expect some very good and entertaining indie folk that feature lots of different instruments such as acoustic guitar, bass, piano, keyboards, accordion or banjo. This sounds as if the tracks could be back-braking but belief me, these two guys know how to write songs and they avoided to make them to excessive. Ballads and thoughtful songs are the lion’s share but there is one song I’m not sure of – and I’m talking about Half here. It sounds a bit like they had fun to embed some elements of Irish traditional music – and I’m not quite sure why they did so. Don’t get me wrong – the track is not bad and you can surely say that it is not an Irish traditional per se but still I think it was not the best choice to put it in the middle of the album where it brakes with the central theme for three minutes.

However this is a very good (indie) folk album you should get your hands on especially if you like White Pines and want to know how Joseph Scott sounded before starting his own project. He and David Martin did a good job and created a memorable album that got its personal character. Don’t forget to visit the MySpace site of TH!TTG! and order your copy of he album at Jumberlack (where you also find the duo’s first album called Help Me, I’m On Fire).