The Mortal Prophets are a band based out of the United States that has consistently believed in bending the rules of music, and not conforming, very famously, to a genre or style– instead letting their experimentation and their sound do the talking. On their latest release, “The Twang Gang”, they explore yet more unconventional corners, yielding a sound that is quite distinctive and unique to their style. Keep reading for my thoughts!
The album primarily draws inspiration from country and folk music from the mountains of the Americas, garnished with a little pre-war blues, and influenced by German electronica. Now, that is a wide variety of sounds, styles and sonic signatures to deal with independently, let alone bring them all together into a cohesive sound, yet I found myself amazed at the fact that that was exactly what was happening throughout this album.
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The opener, “Waltz Across New Jersey”, is a rich acoustic intro to the album, with some of that old-school Southern flair, with a warm, and welcoming tone that sets the stage and the mood for the album quite early on, if I may say so myself. There is the smart use of the few elements that make up this song, with the synths in the outro making the perfect segue into the second song, “3 Dolla Holla”, a take on experimental country and pop music with the use of these electronic music instruments, a blend that I quite appreciated. The rhythms build slow, with the groove settling in quite maturely into the song, as the album starts wrapping itself around your head, gradually building up as we start reaching the middle of The Twang Gang.
“Mesmerized Strangers” starts out with a rather ominous-sounding synth intro that then evolves into a fun, swingy tune with the still-catchy synth part in the background. As we move to the middle of the album, and the title track of the album, “The Twang Gang”, we are treated to a country rock sound that finds its mojo right from the very start, with the fun mellotron part in the background that I quite liked.
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Some other special mentions on the album include “Pagan Driving School” with its old-school charm, the Daft Punk-like vocoded and phased vocals on “Can You Feel It”, and the highly experimental nature of “Alamo Aloha”.
The production on The Twang Gang stands out as being courageous, and willing to experiment, with the right kinds of emphasis being given to the sound in the right places, and the mixing and mastering offering great support and driving the message of the album forward quite nicely.
In conclusion, “The Twang Gang” by The Mortal Prophets is a bold and innovative musical journey that defies conventional genre boundaries with grace and finesse. The band’s willingness to blend elements from country, folk, blues, and German electronica is a testament to their artistic fearlessness. Check out the album here!
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