Albums of the Month - January 2019

Album of the Month - January 2019

The Delines - The Imperial

Rough Trade Exclusive 180 Gram Clear Vinyl in a Gatefold Sleeve with Bonus 7" of two unreleased tracks and Bonus CD feat. extras from "The Imperial Sessions".

Nearly 5 years after the release of their first and only album, the Portland, Oregon retro-country soul masters The Delines return with The Imperial, a fully realized country-soul anthology of under-class, provincial America.

The break was never intended to be so long, but after Amy Boone was hit by a car in Austin, TX the other band members supported the lead-singer through her recovery and rehabilitation before creating their sophomore album.

Much like Colfax, The Imperial draws on the dark and seedy underbelly of the States (lonely bars, violent men and living out of cars) but Boone's warm, maternal voice is sympathetic not derisive. In fact, it's Boones vocals, along with the character-led lyrics, that set the foundations for ten vignettes about hard-living, hard-drinking, flawed but ultimately romantic American heroes.

The two lead singles Holly The Hustle (the story of a con artist, brought up and abandoned by a failing alcoholic horse-breeder) and Eddie and Polly (two people in the throes of a toxic yet addictive relationship in deep Louisiana) set the tone for the album.

Boone is supported by a subtle chorus of slide guitars, electric pianos and gospel choirs. The brass is littered throughout the record releasing the songs from their sleepy tale origins to their soul ballad potential. Mellow and atmospheric making the whole affair very intimate.

So come on in to The Delines' roadside bar, get yourself some rye and let the landlady tell you about the characters that come and go. The gritty, oft-forgotten Americans, the Americans of the past, the present and the future.

Albums of the Month - January 2019

2. Tallies - Tallies

3. Kero Kero Bonito - Time 'N' Place

4. Mara Simpson - 285 Days

5. Selling - On Reflection

6. Charlene Soraia - Where's My Tribe

7. Lorelle Meets The Obscure - De Facto

8. Lubomyr Melnyk - Fallen Trees

9. Khana Bierbood - Strangers From The Far East

10. Be Svendsen - Between A Smile And A Tear

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