His Breath Is A Hammer
You know how they talked about Neko Case when she first started getting attention? Remember? They called her “the Voice.” They said her voice wrote cheques her songwriting couldn’t cash (at the time), that the Voice overpowered the listener’s senses and destroyed their minds. That might be hyperbole…but what ISN’T hyperbole is that I have found her male equivalent.
In my endless pursuit of all things Chuck Ragan, I discovered a man named Austin Lucas. Austin and Chuck recorded a song together in the bathroom of a bar in Las Vegas in the dark and released it as a bonus track on the cd compiling Chuck’s 7” subscription series (and later on the b-side of a German 7” single). That song is provided below, a dangerously lo-fi recording that masks the power of their performance. The two also released a split 7” (again in Germany) and are working on a collaborative full-length – all good signs.
So a couple of months back the folks at the Vinyl Collective message board alerted me to a pre-order over at Lucas’ North American label, Magic Bullet, for his first solo full-length. After spending most of his life playing in punk bands, Lucas has been playing folk/country material and for this record he got together with his dad (also a life-long musician) and they recorded eight huge tracks. I say huge because they’re not necessarily choked with excessive instrumentation or wall-of-sound production. They’re huge in terms of their emotional weight and the ridiculous expanse of Lucas’ voice. It soars through the speakers and – while it does have a bit of country-style twang – it’s just mighty. I’m in awe of it.
Austin Lucas - Man Alive [4:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Austin Lucas - There's Always Someone Tougher and Meaner [4:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Austin Lucas & Chuck Ragan - Hold My Bed [4:05m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadThe Voice wants to speak to you:
iTunes: surprisingly, it’s here!
Magic Bullet mailorder: Pre-order the limited LP version or the cd
Hometown Caravan: His German label apparently has a few singles you can get — warning, they’re only taking orders through their myspace.
