O'Death: Head Home

Label: Ernest Jenning

The members of O’Death say their whiskey-inspired music sounds like steam trains, wet soil, men with beards, and dried blood. I agree. Drawing from traditional Appalachian Mountain music, this Brooklyn sextet take straight-forward folk lyrics and dunk them into buckets of hostel punk energy. A banjo has never been so mean. Their Gothic lyrics, such as, “Open your black eyes and see. Take off your clothes and come home with me,” rely on the lead singer’s screechy, villainous voice to achieve their haunting tone. The CD peaks with “Down to Rest,” a song that’s hard to stay still while listening to, while “Gas Can Row” and “The Crab Apple Switch” are full of brooding but move slowly. It seems, if music were food, O’Death would be steak – their rich, satisfying sound is worth gnawing on and settles heavy inside you. (Margi)