America remains a land of exploration, of continual discovery and re-discovery.
Some time back, Sean Rowe hit the road. Taking the Kerouac dream to its logical end, the aspiring songwriting disappeared in the endless wastes of the United States, surviving off the land for a total of 24 days. Why recall this story? Well there's an element of the savage in Sean Rowe's work. His voice is tattered, unkempt – you'd be tempted to say it sounds a little like Tom Waits, but then no one sounds like Tom Waits… and funnily enough no one sounds like Sean Rowe.
New album 'The Salesman and the Shark' is a great example of what we're reaching for. As ever, the music states this a lot more succinctly than words ever could – all deranged polkas, whiskey soaked country ballads and nightmarish sketches of life on the road.
Take 'Joe's Cult'. Yawning into life with a blast of feedback, the percussion sounds like an old steam train stretching into life. Somehow both modern and ancient, there's a full blooded edge to everything Sean Rowe puts his name to.
Listen / download the track below.
