Solitary Company
Fluff & Gravy, 2021
9/10
The recording duo of Georg Altziebler and his wife, Heike Binder, this 9th album from Son Of The Velvet Rat puts the pair in some fine company as their Euro-folk sensibilities take influence from Joshua Tree, which is where the Austrians now reside.
“Alicia” starts the album with much grace as Bob Furgo’s emotive violin and Sebastian Rochford’s brushed drums complement Altziebler’s raw, pensive vocal delivery and sublime guitar playing, and “Solitary Company” follows with a darker approach where Matthias Loibner’s hurdy gurdy and Eric McCann’s acoustic bass add much to the reflective tone that’s packed with orchestral strings, too.
At the halfway point, “Beautiful Disarray” is a lively and rhythmic album highlight that recruits Hammond B3 by Anthony Patler and Scott Kisinger’s trumpet and trombone amid smooth melodies, while “11 & 9” is a calmer display of timeless, folk ideas as Binder’s pretty pipes mesh well with Altziebler’s gritty singing. “The Waterlily & The Dragonfly”, one of the most sparse tunes present, is then just Altziebler’s acoustic guitar and poetic vocals emitting much bare beauty.
The last two tracks, “The Ferris Wheel” and “Remember Me”, don’t disappoint either, as the former offers a firm energy of harmonica, handclaps and Danny Frankel’s playful drumming, and the latter exits with Albrech Klinger’s slide guitar and Binder’s theremin bringing further sophistication to the eloquent, absorbing finish.
You might spot similarities to names like Waits, Dylan and Cohen here, and the pair’s use of Irish folk, baroque rock and desert Americana only serve to further separate this from anything else you’ve heard before. Often gravelly, and with no shortage of glowing harmonies and agile melodies, I was a bit ashamed to say that, despite their lengthy catalog, this was my first experience with Son Of The Velvet Rat. If you’re in the same boat, it would be wise to rectify that, quickly.
Travels well with: David Dondero- The Filter Bubble Blues; Jim White- Misfit’s Jubilee