Once again, our good friend Monty from Lather, Rinse, Repeat has come through with a review of the latest Cozy Home release, Old North’s The Dead Horse Sessions. If you don’t know who Old North is, check out myspace.com/scottrev. And why not click yourself into the downloads section to get their album? It’s free, after all.

Music is a conundrum. I have never fully understood it, and maybe that’s why I love it so goddam much.

Considering the amount of music that I listen to, transcending the ridiculous notion of “genre”, and in spite of all the percieved steps forward that the art of recording sound has taken in recent years, nothing sounds better to me than simple songs recorded at home without any serious thought as to where the songs may go after mixdown. They may get as far as the box of CD-Rs on the closet floor. They may be played on every hipsters’ eyepod. All that matters at the moment is getting the song on tape and making sure it sounds like it should.  These are the songs that speak of the heart, from the heart. The songs that inspire and reflect a passion for the art of songwriting.

“Hey, I got this riff, check it out…”

“Got it? Alright, we rolling? 1-and-2-and-cream-and-corn-and…”

Old North’s songs sound natural and effortless. Forget modern bluegrass and rehashed 200-year-old traditional guitar/mandolin throwbacks; this is folk music. Stories told from the perspective of someone that could be living next door to anyone at any time. That isn’t to say that they sound like the band next door. Their sound is reminiscent of country before it became pop and lo-fi before it became a quaint novelty. Jangling guitars, low-key vocals, a deep, powerful low end and deceptively understated percussion combine with honest and perfectly unpretentious lyricism to create something that sounds classic, catchy and intelligent.

The bulk of the album is comprised of traditionally arranged homegrown folk/country/blues numbers. Lighthearted tales of love, lust and liquor like Mischievous Mary let you think that you’re taking a stroll through safe territory, all nicely mapped and well charted, until the slightly Beckesque Shine Through boxes your ears with existential head games to dispell any notion of a perfectly smooth ride. Likewise, (Kentucky) Shit Guitar is pure home pop and beautiful, and Son Of Steven is catchy and uplifting as hell.

Old North is a truly modern band. Their feet are planted firmly in their influences, but their sound inhabits a time without definition. Is it the 1950s? Is it the year 2525? And more importantly, who cares? This album is worth every second of the million times you’ll listen to it. Its honesty is heartbreaking, its optimism is refreshing, and all you need is one listen to get yourself hooked. I know I am.

Monty Leuthausen
May, 2009