The Throes
Alive
2004
Rating: 7 tin monkeys out of 10
Is this new generation of folk music that the kids seem to be into nowadays the new electroclash, or is it here to stay? Here in San Francisco it is certainly the happening scene, with Devendra Banhart, Vetiver, Joanna Newsome and the like packing houses across the city (and from everything I’ve read, around the country as well). But for me the most talented and engaging performers of the bunch are duo of newcomers known as Two Gallants. Although both are still in their early twenties, their songs bear a world-weariness that is light years past their current age. More than anything, they remind of The Pogues - minus the tin whistles and Irish accents and although I’ve never seen the Gallants up close, they can’t have nearly as fucked-up teeth. Other obvious touchstones would be Bob Dylan, Bright Eyes, and possibly even Neutral Milk Hotel, or at least that one solo live Jeff Mangum album. Put simply, this is some of the best story telling I’ve heard in songs in a long time, and the fact that it’s coming from such young kids makes it equally astounding.
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