the loosehounds
 February 2010
Mike
Davies. As the swirling dark rhythms of Come The Night and the didg drones of the bluesy Hey Man! respectively bear witness, there's also strong Eastern and Aboriginal colours in evidence. At times equally evocative of Asian textured 60s prog rock outfit Quintessence, the jam psychedelic folk of the Dead and, on the surging mantra rock Only Worlds Away, Midnight Oil, this is by far their most musically muscular album, core instrumentation augmented with the cello, melodeon, cornet, sax and Spanish guitar and the rhythms firmly focused on conjuring both groove and atmosphere. Take a listen to What Ya Gonna Do For Love where, deep voiced vocalist Mark Haywood sounding like Johnny Cash, they weave all manner of musical textures and instrumental intrusions over the steady swampy march beat, dropping in a reference to The Beatles along the way. It's hard not to be impressed. They get mellow for the bluesy Come On Over and, marrying Spanish and raga, Love Has Only Just Begun while roots country flavours lurk among the reflective gravel and accordion of Lonely and Train To Heaven runs fat sax and Celtic reel strains through a rowdy bluegrass stomp. However, it's the urgent, heady, uptempo numbers that provide the album's driving wheel and keep bring you back time and time again to feel the rush of blood they stir. In a wry acknowledgement of the way music is often obscured and judged by image, the sleeve features them all headless with no clue to their look or age. Doubtless, many will still dismissively tag it as dad rock for New Age festivals and there is, perhaps, an element of truth to that. But, as they effortlessly demonstrate, father clearly knows best.  January 2010
Steve Caseman The Loosehounds return with a third album that builds on their previous strengths. Then Suddenly further develops their distinctive fusion of roots and rock, with its closest musical relative perhaps The Levellers' music at its darkest. It's their ability to integrate a wider palette of sounds within their musical vision that sets The Loosehounds apart from others in the roots-rock camp. Opener 'Come The Night', a gothic, claustrophobic piece of didgeridoo-led pounding rock feels like an acoustic Damned and like those pioneer punks, The Loosehounds are a well-oiled machine capable of consistently impressing while surprising with the unexpected spark of brilliance. They're just as likely to combine the aforementioned didge with a tumbling slice of r'n'b ('Hey Man! as set off an exotic Caribbean flavoured adventure (sample the infectious rhythms of 'Oh Hello! ') or move into acoustic psychedelia (for 'Too Much') that brings to mind Forever Changes-period Love. Then Suddenly is a disarming and ingenious collection that stands as a testament to the sheer determination ofThe Loosehounds to tread their own path, it's one that is certainly worth following.
 Simon Jones The Loosehounds ‘Takista’ Album Review Having just returned from the most picturesque and rural part of deepest Shropshire, where The Loosehounds were entertaining a May fair in merry fashion, I can vouch that, while you've probably never heard of these lads, they’re as entertaining live as they are on this new C.D.“Takista” is their second offering; their first came some four years back, sweeping pretty much all before it in the local rock stakes. Regulars at Glastonbury and with influential fans like Johnny Walker of Radio2 and Mark Ellen editor of “Q” and “Mojo”, their rustic, acoustic beat is developed here into heavier shapes with huge lumps of improvisation and free form guitar workouts underpinning folksy melodic protest from the pen of leader Mark Haywood. Not much like anything else you’ve heard before, I suppose you could say there are touches of bands like Lindisfarne in prime “Fog on the Tyne” mode or Traffic circa “John Barleycorn.” They conjure a primitive back to basics unplugged rock which moves your feet as well as your head, hard to argue with their social sloganeering too which moves beyond political to the humanist. Sans heavy drums, instead a light percussive touch comes in all manner of exotic beats from the hands of Richard Jones. A lot of their character emerges through washes of mandolin and whistles courtesy of former ceilidh band stalwart Richard Beasley who’s now washed his hands of country dances for something a bit chunkier with the Loosehounds. The crowd at Clun cheered them royally. Numbers such as “Lonely World” and “Lies” set a tone of decent tunes with decent lyrics. Both present on the album with the proverbial much more besides, over 12 tracks, real up front music played with passion and a huge injection of zest. “What I like about this group is the fact that there’s a bit of everything and yet it’s totally original,” said one punter in Clun who’d just enquired about booking them for a festival. I couldn’t agree more.
Mike
Davies. Formerly The Loosehound Drifters, the Shropshire/Welsh six piece return with an eagerly awaited sophomore album, once again produced by former T'Pau man Ronnie Rogers and once again mining their passion for heated rhythms and drivingly atmospheric acoustic folk rock that isn't ashamed of its roots in the heady days of late 60s progressive folk espoused by the likes of Traffic and Lindisfarne . It's a lot tighter and more confident this time round too, Rogers gelling the instruments together in arrangements that create a surging wash of sound but also distinguish individual textures. Listen to the sultry colours of Outside The Pain with its Latin rhythms and rainforest moods, the slow stomping blues Someone I Believe In with its twanging Jaw harp and harmonica or the South African kwela cascades to Crazy When It gets Insane and the fusion of brass, mandolin and the steady percussive beat on the angry but naggingly catchy Lies. Singer Mark Haywood is behind all the material, two tracks co-penned with mandolin player Richard Beasley, one with drummer (and band engine) Richard Jones and one as a band composition. They do the personal relationship bit, Turn Me On a grown up love song, but most are forged by social-political conscience, a commentary, that informs the observations of the Lonely World. Lies, Wheels To The World and the simple acoustic Good Morning that addresses eco issues, the Iraq war and the apathy towards Third World poverty. Taking its title from the Estonian/Greek for ‘soon’, the slow building title track serves as a warning of impending apocalypse, told through a view of Earth (aka Takista) from the perspective of colonists from space looking to find a planet with all the resources necessary for their survival, reporting back that the same eco madness is driving it to self-destruction. Someone described the album as evocative of early Fleetwood Mac , but if you want a better comparison point, then Latin Quarter would be your best musical map reference, which strikes me as incentive enough.
Get Rhythm Magazine. Loosehoundrifters Album. 'Hard To Be Human' Review Every track on Hard To Be Human is a well crafted slice of radio pop that'll have you humming the hook after one listen like an old melody rediscovered. The chameleon quality of the group means that at any point they can sound like Van Morrison, Crowded house, The Saw Doctors and many others rolled into one The Loosehoundrifters are a much-needed breath of fresh air, they hit the feel good factor button every time without ever breaking into a sweat." Keith Whitham |