After an extolling album from 2009 titled A Bitter Harvest, Lonesome Wyatt (Those Poor Bastards) and Rachel Brooke have joined their forces on a new release called Bad Omen. Collaboration between the two authors is a consequence of similar music aspirations that converge in country, folk and Americana. Lonesome’s Those Poor Bastards play dark Goth country, while his association with Rachel is oriented towards classic folk expression. It is still obscure enough to secure Lonesome stays true to himself.
Bad Omen is a gorgeous, honest, cheerful and happy dossier of touching ballades sung under the influence of moon and shadows. The style is definitely Goth, although I could label the whole record as a Goth folk. A mixture of two vocals is perfect – male vocal is desperate, dark and uncomfortable, while female vocal introjects certain softness and sadness. Their voices complete one another. Sections are divided with meaning.
The album is saturated with love, but the kind of love that is always a hint. It is all about the perils of untold love. Wyatt and Brooke sing about no one and everyone, about themselves and other. They connect specific and general, but they never make the wrong turn towards pathetic storytelling. The only thing they want is to show that love should not be banal and reduced to physical and sexual. Love is a summation of physical, psychological, emotional and direct experiences. That is what Bad Omens tries to teach us.
The album starts with Not Over You, and it ends with What Happens To Our Love. It is a full circle. Describing uncertain relationship through the past, the present, and the future is the essence of the record. It is so important to understand that every relationship is uncertain. We should all expect surprises from the other part, which is the message of What Happens To Our Love.
There are no bad tracks on the album. My Favorite is If The Beasts Should Haunt Us, a brilliant folk ballade without pathetic pitch. Dance With Me is certainly the most cheerful song, while Miles And Miles bring the experimental touch to the album. Rachel’s vocal is dominating here.
When two talented artists decide to collaborate, miracles can happen. What is miraculous about Bad Omen is that persuades you that love is more than what we think, say or sing about love.
