{"id":1325,"date":"2012-06-19T10:28:33","date_gmt":"2012-06-19T14:28:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nowthissound.com\/ntsib\/?p=1325"},"modified":"2014-11-05T21:59:03","modified_gmt":"2014-11-06T02:59:03","slug":"a-good-read-a-good-listen-and-a-good-drink-mudlow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.nowthissound.com\/ntsib\/2012\/06\/19\/a-good-read-a-good-listen-and-a-good-drink-mudlow\/","title":{"rendered":"A Good Read, a Good Listen, and a Good Drink: Mudlow"},"content":{"rendered":"

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It’s a simple yet sublime pleasure, and just thinking about it can make you feel a little calmer, a little more content. Imagine: You bring out one of the good rocks glasses (or your favorite mug or a special occasion tea cup) and pour a couple fingers of amber liquid (or something dark and strong or just some whole milk). You drop the needle on the jazz platter (or pull up a blues album on your mp3 player or dig out that mixtape from college). Ensconcing yourself in the coziest seat in the house, you crack the spine on a classic (or find your place in that sci-fi paperback or pull up a biography on your e-book reader). And then, you go away for a while. Ah, bliss.<\/p>\n

In this series, some of NTSIB’s friends share beloved albums, books and drinks to recommend or inspire.<\/i><\/p>\n

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Much like my appreciation for Skip James<\/a>, my interest in Mudlow was originally piqued not by their music, but by a photo of the band. The photo you see above, in fact – taken by Nhung Dang<\/a> with a pinhole camera made from a biscuit tin. Anyone who has ever purchased a record by an artist they’ve never heard before based solely on the sleeve art knows that art\/graphics\/image can convey much about sound. When I saw this blurred, rough photo of a bunch of hard men, holding big knives and wearing spattered aprons, I knew they made music I had to hear. <\/p>\n

And, well, not only can you sometimes judge a book by its cover, you can also occasionally judge a band by their press photo because I can now put a Mudlow album in the player and happily leave it there for days of repeated listening. The noir grit of their music sits perfectly in that spot where all my favorite music hits me, somewhere between the gut and the pelvis – music for fucking and fighting. All the Mudlow elements, from Trimble’s sinuous saxophone to Tobias’ one-more-whiskey vocals, combine to create a sound that nearly dislocates your jaw with a strong uppercut before confidently seducing you into bed… or vice versa. <\/p>\n

The men of Mudlow have favored us with some great recommendations. If these aren’t men you’d like to raise a glass with… well then, I’ll just take your place at the bar.<\/p>\n

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“Zane Merite” – Mudlow
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