‘From the Dirge to the Dance’ is the latest CD from THE MUTINEERS, a Santa Barbara based quartet comprising singer/songwriter and electric guitarist Brian Mathusek, Michael Astudillo on vocals and acoustic guitar, Merry Young on vocals and drums, and latest recruit Terry Luna on vocals and bass.
There are eight tracks on the CD all of which fall into the folk/pub rock genre. There is a certain similarity with bands such as The Pogues and The Men They Couldn’t Hang, but with ‘From the Dirge to the Dance' the band have scored a hit with some heartfelt lyrics and some excellent melodies.
Opening track is ‘Give It A Rest’, a pub/folk vibe with a tale of drink and poverty: - “That barrel full of hard times, that sweet and bitter brew/ the banks are running dry while the fields are fallow too/ I can’t recall a better time for drinking here with you.”
The song details how this Country’s gonna’ burst and cautions the listener to ‘Give It A Rest’ as “this stress has got a hold of your brain”: a perfect opening to the album and with a beery chorus that anyone can sing along to after just one play, this could be the track to play immediately upon returning from the pub!
‘Hell No’ which follows is a rockier track which again details the trials of poverty and degradation: “I was born the captive of angels, in a town deserving no name/ now the shops are all standing empty and the cops have all gone insane.” Once again despite the lyrical tone, the song itself is uplifting, and basically carries on with the strong lyrical content.
‘The Waltz’ is virtually that: a gentle love song in which neither party seems capable of expressing their feelings towards each other: - “We tried to pretend that we were both free, get on with our lives to live separately/We danced around promises, made up excuses. ‘Forever’, a word that neither of us chooses.”
However with a line in there that “We’ll be together” the song leaves no one in any doubt of the sincerity behind it.
‘A Summer’s Minotaur’, surely an odd title for a track is a nice instrumental in which there is gentle interplay between the guitars and serves to draw a line under what has come before.
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If this were an LP, Side 2 would open with ‘Can’t Quit’, a song that just build with some excellent rock guitar lines and lyrics that make this an alt. folk rock political protest song: - “And we gathered pieces, tryin’ to make a new world.” Perhaps the protesters in this song are doomed to failure, to bang their heads continually against a brick wall, but: “We can’t quit, there’s no alternative.” Stirring stuff indeed.
'Going Home’ is a lovely folkie strum, with, once again, biting lyrics that always highlight the poor and downtrodden, while ‘Age’ is an unusual track in that it seems to cross genres in a way that wouldn’t be usually expected. On the musical side, there is an almost rockabilly beat, with the bass being used really effectively, married to lyrics that are sung in a style that is classic folk: “I was drinkin’, on the brew, I was cursin’, like a fool.”
Finally, the album closes with ‘The Dirge’, which is quite a representative title, however despite an initial plodding melody, the song's narrative lyric - a man whose happiness is shattered by war which claims the life of his son, and looking back on his grief and the subsequent death of his wife the song's character finally finds peace after the passing of many years, ending the album on an upbeat note of sorts.
Overall, I found The Mutineers an exciting new discovery, a band that whilst clearly heavily influenced by others, still has some strikingly original lyrics alongside some cracking melodies. Worth getting hold of a copy.
The Mutineers MySpace page
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