Monday, April 16, 2012

REVIEW: The Just Joans - Buckfast Bottles in the Rain


The delightfully named Buckfast Bottles in the Rain by The Just Joans is a concept album. Thematically, the album is about a teenage boy living in a small town and dreaming of a more exciting life, and follows him through his college years to the point where he realizes some of the charms of his earlier life. Musically, the album is a pop album that straddles folk, indie pop and even music hall, all delivered with a thick Scottish accent. Here is one of my favorite tracks, "Five Beer Bottles":


The band is from Motherwell, UK (Scotland) and is named after a column in a Scottish newspaper. There currently are five members -- David, Katie, Chris, Allan, Doog, and Fraser -- although many of the songs were crafted more than five years ago when the band was just David and Chris.

Here is the charming "What Do We Do Now?" --


The 11 tracks on Buckfast Bottles in the Rain tell classic coming of age stories with the author's own idiosyncratic twist laid out on a beautiful musical tapestry. This is a very nice album to spend some time with, perhaps with up to five bottles of beer. It is released today by weePOP! Records.

For our US readers, Buckfast is a sweet, fortified wine with a high alcohol and caffeine content. Its reputation in Scotland is similar to that of Thunderbird or MD 20/20 in the states, and is thought by many to be the choice of drink for underage drinkers and those prone to anti-social behavior.

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