As someone who covers new music, I hear lots and lots of stuff, the good, the bad and the ugly. However, there is still no greater joy than when an album catches you by surprise. It isn't that often when that happens and it is never genre specific.
Mountain Highway is one such album and I've been meaning to tell you about it for a while since I played Somerset on an IDHAS 10 Song Mix. The Smivets are a one man band and I can tell you little about that one man apart from his name being Steve and he is from Uttoxeter.
Mountain Highway is no big sounding affair, nor is it lo-fi. It comes across as a showcase of Steve's talent. The album defies genres, because every song is different to any other. There are times when it is loose and a bit messy and times when a song is just perfect, particularly Somerset.
Contained within are songs like Jesus, The Devil and So On could be a song recorded in a Georgia Studio in 1956, all Rock n Roll and I Think She Loves Me is early 80's Synth Pop. Hey Bon is Southern Boogie Rock, yet the title track is all sludge grunge Alt Rock, almost dirge like.
Tourmaline is a cross between West Coast Rock and Modern Prog and Untouchable is all Garage Rock, megaphone and all. Let's Get This Over With verges on Status Quo fronted by Neil Young with an incendiary Guitar Solo. Foregone is a Psych masterpiece.
Better Than Rock And Roll is just astounding. It chops and changes, is messy at times and so damn catchy at times. Then there is the magnificence that is Somerset, one of the best songs that I've heard in the past year. Mountain Highway is formidable. There is a lot to take in, but the ride is one you'll love.
You can listen to and buy the album here.
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