El Diablo - "23rd Psalm Cafe"

The standard bearers for Irish alt country, El Diablo finally release their debut album after two well received e.p.'s earlier this year. Essentially a three piece made up NPB'ers Patrick Freyne and Pól Ó Conghaile aided vocally by Anna Carey, the band have got their mates in to flesh things out for the record.
For anyone already familiar with either their live or recorded output this record will have been on your wish list and from the off '23rd Psalm Café' fulfils all expectations and promise. "Maryland Bed" opens proceedings and how, it's a heartbreaking lament of a love affair gone dead. Anna Carey's beautifully emotive voice perfectly conveys the wrench 'she' feels in having to end the affair and leave 'him' alone in the titular bed.
Although Carey is the lead vocalist, most of the tracks on 23rd Psalm Café are duets with either Patrick Freyne or Pól Ó Conghaile and this where the Gram/Emmylou comparisons originate, obviously by covering 'Love Hurts' the band are happy to fuel these comparisons and why not? However, before we reach the record's most recognisable moment there's the not so small matter of (I think) Pól's paean to his 'Wild Rose'. A rose who is likened to both Vivienne Leigh and Astrud Gilberto and who Pól tells us "She's Nick Cave to my Bad Seeds". This kind of gives the game away in terms of what to expect from a song that wouldn't sound out of place on one of the Australians' later releases, particularly 'Boatman's Call'.
I'll deal with 'Love Hurts' at the end and focus on the original compositions for now.
'Trailer Park Blues' comes over like The Beautiful South without the annoyingly smug Paul Heaton and his 'witty' lyrics. It's about a young girl's desire to escape the trailer park and her abusive father, the righteous 'Shitkickers Inc.' follows with it's cod Rawhide like chants and three part harmonies. 'Jerusalem Hills' is up next and for me is one of the record's highlights. A downbeat Will Oldham like story set in biblical times, where we're told that Jesus comes "from a world where Johnny Cash sings like a girl".
The hypnotic 'Wandering One' and plaintive 'Our Love's Gone Wrong Again' make up half of the remaining tracks, but it's the slow/fast, slow/fast 'Intemperate Man' and genuinely disturbing 'Fists' that make you listen a little harder. 'Intemperate Man' gets the nod by virtue of it's almost nursery rhyme like verses kicking into the fuzzy, scuzzy cow punk of it's chorus; "Well I guess in times of love and hate, People learn to deviate", intemperate indeed.
'Fists' ends proceedings and listening to Anna Carey breathing the lines "I wanna hurt somebody with my fists" you can't stop the hairs on the back of your neck prickling. It complements the opener "Maryland Bed" perfectly. Whereas in "Maryland Bed" she seems genuinely distraught at having to break it off with her man, in 'Fists' she's ready to take her man on in the only way he'll seemingly understand, with her fists.
Right, lets rewind back to 'Love Hurts' for a second. Now, whilst Carey and Freyne (I think) do a fine job it's just one of those songs that can't really be improved upon and maybe should have been replaced by 'Warm My Soul' from the 'Love Hurts' e.p. However as this is the only real criticism I can level at the record then ignore my last sentence and buy the album and enjoy.
This is a debut record from a band that are comfortable with themselves and their abilities, it's not a country record by any means but it tips its hat in that direction. Like say Mazzy Star or maybe The Czars, El Diablo have looked to Gram Parsons Cosmic American Music blueprint and used it for their own means. Good on them.
23rd Psalm Cafe is out now on Catchy Go Go records - www.catchygogo.com.
The band are touring to support the release, check the dates on our listings page.

• Bruntnell signs to Loose
• REM announce 2nd Dublin date & 'new' record
• Jayhawks new release
  
• Uncut honours Bonnie 'Prince' Billy

• Magic Car - Yellow Main Sequence
• El Diablo - 23rd Psalm Cafe
• Utah Carol - Comfort for the Traveller
  

Calexico:
Expect to see early Sold Out notices as Burns & Convertino play two dates in the intimate Whelans.

Coal Porters:
Sid Griffin takes his Bluegrass combo around the country on a whistle stop tour this month.

Neko Case:
Canadian ex-punk Case makes her Irish debut this month. Her current release 'Blacklisetd' was one of the records of last year.

Click here for more tour dates

Ryan Adams:
Ryan decides to plunder his catalogue for this crowd pleaser in Dublin.

Calexico:

Burns & Convertino's mariachi madness reminds us what summer can be like.

Flaming Lips:
Wayne Coyne & chums brought the Jelly to Vicar Street.

Neil Halstead:
Mojave 3 head honcho supported by our own Paul O'Reilly. Two talented young songwriters delivered a night of beautiful intimacy at the Shelter.

Lambchop:
Kurt Wagner & his lo-fi orchestra brewed up a quiet storm at the Olympia last month.

Scott Miller:
Miller and his Commonwealth opened the Rhythm & Roots Weekend and brought the house down.

The Handsome Family:
Brett, Rennie, Oh Susanna and some smelly yellow liquid. Another Handsome Family show.

Click here for more recent reviews of Paul Burch, Chris Mills, Ryan Adams, Marah, and more...

Interview: The Guthries

Nova Scotia's finest are off to Europe in November & bass player Serge Samson kindly agreed to answer a few questions.

Interview: Juliana Hatfield

Our favourite Blake Babe very kindly agreed to tell us what she's been upto lately.

New Talent

Two new acts for you to look out for over the coming year. Cusack are from Essex, England and The Vessels hail from London and have just signed to BMG Records.

Interview: El Diablo

Dublin's finest alt country combo, El Diablo recently released their debut album. They spoke to Old Weird just before the launch date.

20 Questions with Good Sons

Michael Weston King gets carried away choosing his fantasy cover versions record.

20 Questions with Handsome Family

Krautrock, lost kittens & Captain Kangaroo. Come on what else did you expect?

Interview: Paul Burch

A conversation we had with Paul Burch in which he reveals much of his songwriting process , the state of Country Music, and being a member of alt country darlings, Lambchop...

Interview: The Good Sons

The struggles of being a British alt country band, the one about an Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman and how I nearly became Tears for Fears. Michael Weston King tells all...

Feature: Eileen Rose

An Irish-Italian-American singer songwriter based in London. Eileen Rose was asked by her father "to never learn to sing the blues"...

20 Questions with...

• Utah Carol
• Sid Griffin
• Cusack
• El Diablo
• Hamell on Trial
• The Arlenes
• Paul Burch