Rackhouse Pilfer
Album: Love And Havoc
Label: Rackhouse
Tracks: 12
Website: http://rackhousepilfer.blogspot.co.uk/
A band who have been steadily building an enviable reputation at home, Rackhouse Pilfer decided to leave their comfort zone in Sligo and head for Nashville to record their sophomore album, with the redoubtable Brad Jones-Sheryl Crow, Marshall Crenshaw and Josh Rouse to name but three of his clients-and on this evidence, it has been a handsome payoff indeed. Twelve songs, all but one -a cover of Shady Grove- composed by band members, finds them occupying that netherworld between bluegrass and Americana , covering in the process a broad range of emotions in a very satisfying concoction.There is an astonishing degree of instrumental skill on display here, rendering comparisons with their Music City practitioners invidious in the extreme. Dare I say it, but there’s a warmth in evidence that is often found wanting from the output of the production line that is Nashville. Not just that, but the arrangements are constructed in a way that allows individual virtuosity to have it’s way, while never detracting from the fact that this is a team effort. Much of this of course can be laid at Brad Jones’ door, he it seems , having adopted a supreme lightness of touch. The radio hit “Angela”is harmony laden, sitting on a bed of dextrous string interplay, while “Me and a Polar Bear” addresses matters of weightier concerns.There in much in evidence here to suggest that Rackhouse Pilfer will go on in the near future to become a name of no little significance both within and beyond these shores. The songs are well constructed, hummable and memorable, the paying, as I’ve said straight from the top drawer. Meanwhile, be assured that “Love and Havoc” as an entity is a calling card that any band could be proud of. A standout of an album, it will be well in the mix at the year’s end , when the various judging panels sit down to compile their “best of” lists. Yes, it really IS that good.

Oliver P.Sweeney