Almost immediately, even
during the opening refrains, I sensed that 'When The Saints
Go' by Jim Clements & The Right To Die was gonna be
something quite special. Don't ask me why, I just knew that
this album was gonna be quite unlike anything else I've
heard for donkey's trousers! Believe me, I wasn't wrong and
I defo wasn't disappointed!!
Jim Clements & The Right To Die specialise in a musical
genre that's hard to describe; it's a sort of
gypsy/indie/nu-folk kinda thing - sort of folksy-blue Nick
Cave meets Dylanesque Country Joe McDonald - hard-edged,
dark, poetic story-telling set to wondrously sympathetic
acoustic biased music. That's as close I can get to putting
in words what this excellent band is about! Whatever, 'When
The Saints Go' is a superbly composed and stunningly
executed album that seems to be a bi-conceptual work; two
halves telling two distinctly different but equally
absorbing stories - I think!!!
'When The Saints Go' is dark but somehow never really
'haunting'. Clements & Co seem to be able to portray
dark but make it feel nothing less than acceptably vibrant
- this they appear to do through a mixture of great, mature
writing and sensitively understated but passionately
expressive playing. The end result is genuinely brilliant
and although maybe not totally commercial in the true
sense, it's certainly as cultishly viable as even the most
successful and globally accepted works of Cave, Waits and
other similarly ilked artists. Jim Clements & The Right
To die show that the lyrically macabre can be lifted and
lightened by quality, expansive musical composition and
well thought out instrumental atmospherics. These 'guys'
work as a well prepared, closely knit team and their
experienced professionalism and 'oneness' combined with
massive musical creativity bring new hope to an
all-too-often mundane musical era - Jim Clements & The
Right To Die are like a cool, life-saving oasis in a barren
and parched musical desert.
'When The Saints Go' by Jim Clements & The Right To Die
is simply superb - refreshing and innovative - quality from
conception to delivery - nothing short of brilliant!!
(Rhythm & Booze rating 10)
From:
Toxic Pete
An interesting release this month is Jim Clements & The
Right to Die's record When The Saints Go. A far less
biblical effort than you might've imagined it's an
interesting mix of gravelly pilgrimage music and dramatic
bluesy style tunes. Not without humour ("I watched you die
on late night Channel Four") it's an enthralling and
emotional squal of an album which worth a dig out.
From: Shadowplay
Musically it's simple and
straightforward, yet it's tight and clean, with the violin
of Maya
Ahuja pinning everything
together. The lack of time to record and produce the album
seems to have meant that nothing has been spared or thrown
away....An inventive lyrical experience, which easily
stands-up to its influences. Lovers of Cave,
Wilco
etc will not
be disappointed. 4 out of 5.
From:
This Is Fake DIY
Just as with his first album
Kill Devil Hills, what makes it a little bit special is the
barbs and bitterly lyrical turns of phrase that jut out
what is otherwise stout-hearted, rolling country rock....
In a part of the musical world where honesty and
straightforwardness are rated far too highly, there’s
easily enough twisted cleverness on display here to
celebrate and enjoy.
From: Sounds XP