Waco Brothers Get Historical
Rob Dickens
Posted On February 9, 2016
Waco Brothers are a five-piece, mostly Chicago-based band fronted by Jon Langford (also Mekons, Pine Valley Cosmonauts and Skull Orchard) and consisting of Dean Schlabowske, Joe Camarillo, Tracey Dear and Alan Doughty.
Known for a distinctive brand of blazing punk country and disorderly live performances, the veteran group released seven albums between 1995 (To The Last Dead Cowboy) and 2005 (Freedom and Weep). Since then, the outfit has a live recording, a joint project with Nashville songwriter Paul Burch, and a b-sides and covers album to its credit.
So, Going Down in History (out February 26 2016) is the group’s first formal studio album for ten years, and it really captures the thrill and scruffy power twang of the band. It’s raucous, tight and formidable.
The album opener “DIYBYOB” (Do It Yourself Bring Your Own Beer?**) is full of strident insights and clanging guitars – ‘you can’t kill us, we’re already dead’ and ‘this is the first track from the last album’.
There’s plenty of Black Sabbath distortion in “We Know It” and glorious dissonant rhythm in “Building Our Own Prison”. A rousing, lift-up-your-voices power cover of The Small Faces’ “All or Nothing,” is a treat (Ian McLagan, The Faces’ keyboardist was close to the Wacos, and the song is dedicated to him). “Had Enough” revisits The Clash with vitality and attitude while the title track provides a building and forceful pull – ‘you gotta walk before you can fall down on your face’.
“Devil’s Day” has a wonderful invasive riff reminiscent of Television (‘reserve my seat for the devil’s day’) while the album finishes on a high, a cover of Texas songwriter Jon Dee Graham’s “Orphan Song” – ‘I’ll be your Waco Brother for the night’.
Oh, and is this the album cover of the year?! (I know it’s early!)
In this case you CAN judge a book by its cover…
and the rest, dear reader, is going down in history.
** Apologies if it’s obvious to you. I’m an Australian – just trying to work it out!
