Where Rivers Meet (Aaron & Grace Bond) have always been very different from the standard Blues fare. This album takes them further away from the norm and into a kind of ‘Roots meets punk meets grunge meets One-Man-Band’ vibe.
The album sounds rough and ‘scratchy’. Compressed yet with an incredible energy, it all feels as though you are listening through a keyhole.
In the past, their sound developed, adding Blues layers to their rock hearts, but this strips away all the ‘production values’ and presents the music with purity and an aggressive assault on the senses. Try as I might, this cannot be listened to at conversational level – at low levels it is annoying, like an itch you can’t locate, but turn it up and Grace’s voice leaps out of the background while the ‘drums’ pound a beat.
I am a huge fan of When Rivers Meet but their music has been gradually becoming more mainstream, less unique. This redresses the balance. It goes back to their very hearts.
It will polarize listeners, this is not easy listening. But it is magnificent. Ragged and glorious. Absolutely essential.
