Wednesday 8 May 2013

Tumbleweed Dealer - S/T - Review

Tumbleweed Dealer cover art

Tumbleweed Dealer
S/T Album

Available Now - Digital Purchase on BandCamp


Band Members

Seb Painchaud - All Guitars & Bass
Felix Roberge - Musical Director & Live bassist
Carl Borman - Drums
JB - Recording
Alex "All Ex Ghouls" Goulet - Artwork


Band Bio
 
Sometime in June of 2012, Seb Painchaud (member of The Last Felony, former member of Ion Dissonance, Nefastus Dies & Vatican) decided to indulge in the greeny goodness for the first time in years. Never one to do anything half way, in a few hours a three and half was turned into smoke and the inspiration hit him. He decided to write and record right then and there on his home studio some tracks inspired by bands like Earth & Horseback. 
 
3 songs were created that night and the following night he went at it again, creating two more songs, this time incorporating post-rock and math-rock influences (Which were later released as the Unreleased Demos) A few weeks went by, and the inspiration hit again and Seb, who had now returned to his old chronic self of yore, wrote and recorded a few more songs. All these songs were rough demos with simple drum loops and never meant for public consumption, but when he wrote and recorded Death Rides Southwards, he knew he had something. 
 
He knew he had found his sound. In another drug filled evening with good friend and fellow The Last Felony band member Felix Roberge we’re rocking the tracks and decided to combine their efforts, and Felix would take over drum programming and supervise Seb’s hectic and drug laden recording sessions. Out of this collaboration came the Death Rides Southwards EP that was distributed for free on line to get the band’s name out there.

The band recruited Dopethrone skinman Carl Borman and recorded and released their full length debut album in april 2013

Tumbleweed Dealer plays 70’s inspired psych rock and stoner/desert rock while incorporating subtle post-rock and math-rock touches that might only be tangibly visible to the band themselves, yet help them distinguish themselves from other purely retro bands. Although mostly written out, their music involves room for improvisation, making every performance of these tracks an original unto itself.

TUMBLEWEED DEALER - S/T - Album Review

Tumbleweed Dealer hail from Montreal, Quebec. These denizens of the great white north deal in a line of instrumental psych / stoner / blues rock that is pretty difficult to resist. Think Karma To Burn, but slowed down to a bit more of a mellow pace. Their self-titled debut will leave you all warm and fuzzy inside, and you'll probably want something to eat straight away afterwards. Purely by coincidence, like.

Let's start with some 'Opiates', shall we? A slow paced mood setter that burns well and toasts smoothly. Some excellent blues with a great sense and feel for the groove, with a dash of psych thrown in for good measure. Solid stuff, the guitar embraces you like an old friend.

'How to Light a Joint With a Blowtorch' is all about the bass. It forces it's way to the front of the crowd and demands that you notice it. It's not needy at all, it just knows it's badass. And it feels that you should know this too. A solid backbeat only seeks to enforce this behaviour. Those nice guitar lines come into play again and we end up with a situation on our hands. It's getting pretty sexy up in here.

'March of the Dead Cowboys' is just brilliant. It veers off into drone and doom territory, a bit like latter day Earth. It's quite haunting and forlorn, all the more impactful because of the more light-hearted feel of the material up to this point. It's well placed in the running order as somewhat of a curveball. As is the case with all great traditional instrumental acts of this nature, the lack of any vocals does nothing to remove any effect the music has upon you. Sometimes you just don't need words when sounds like these can speak at such volumes.

'Sons of the Desert' is a really chilled number that could well be appreciated as the sun retires in said desert of the title. Laid back, casual, both good words to put forth to try and articulate how this tune comes across, but it needs to be experienced to fully encapsulate just how mellow and effortless it actually is. It has a terrific rhythm to it that just succeeds in making the listener feel good. I'll be spinning this fella all summer long.

All being said, Tumbleweed Dealer have put together an impressive outing here. Some good vibes can be unearthed within, and it will elevate your mood to some impressive heights. It's a joyous affair, one best shared with good friends and cold beer. Go check it out.

Written by Matt Fitton

We at Sludgelord are massive fans of this brilliant album. Buy it now from BandCamp. You won't be sorry.

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