Punk rock can be pretty passé these days so it’s nice to hear that someone is trying something new, like mixing punk rock sensibilities (and lyrics) with banjos, harmonicas, violins, and classical (not classic) guitar riffs. What happens when you mix these things together? Well, for most of this album you end up with something pretty pleasant to the ears and quite entertaining.
“Louis XIV Loved His Legs” would get even the most pretentious Ivy League French student smiling, and the drunken “Every Crooked Finger” would make Shane MacGowan dizzy with envy. Although novel, they aren’t novelty. “Clown and Bard” shows off their musical prowess, and “Walls For The Poor” shows their penchants for politics.
It’s the Eastern European tinged “The House Of The Clinging And The House Of The Gentle” and even more so “Don’t Need No Man” which are the highlights of the album. The Crux sounds most at home when they are bringing down the house or bringing out the tears. And they sound like they are having an awful lot of fun no matter what they are doing. It’s no wonder that they were voted top ten live bands in their local North Bay, California rag.
Although they might wind up on tour with Tom Waits, they would appeal to anyone from Rusted Root fans to the dirtiest Crass fan. Not an album for everyone, and very clearly they are comfortable with not trying to be as well, since there is no pre-set audience for music this unique.
