Nothing Concrete – Jumble Shop Tales (2018)
Nothing Concrete is a folk-rock band from Daumazan Sur Arize in the South of France. They have a similar sound to the likes of Dexys Midnight Runners and Billy Bragg. They built their studio in an old semi-abandoned farmhouse; their album Jumble Shop Tales is out now.
The track ‘Old Black Crow’ starts with a soothing sound of the banjo and a crow cawing. The beat starts, which is very catchy, the vocals are good, and the backing vocals are also very good. It has catchy trumpet sounds throughout which is great.
The track ‘Helebridge’ starts with a beat and again sounds very soothing. It has a very French sound to it which is wonderful. It’s just a musical piece with no vocals; it’s short but sweet. The track ‘Wish I Was As Happy As My Dog’ starts with trumpets, then a beat kicks in and guitar sounds. The vocals are fantastic. It’s about being broke and dreading getting up in the morning, and they wish they were happy. It had amusing howling sounds in it after he says he just wants to be as happy as his dog. He sings about seeing a girl with another guy which he isn’t happy about.
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The track ‘Big White Ship’ starts with a catchy beat and a jingle sound, which sounds kind of Christmasy. The vocals and lyrics are excellent. It sounds like it’s about bad things happening; he sings about being upset about things that are happening and how the world seems bad these days. The track ‘Talkative River’ has an awesome bass line at the start. It has a catchy beat, and it sounds a bit country which is great. The vocals and the backing vocals are good, the drumming is great, and it has a very catchy beat.
The track ‘Let Yourself Down Again Blues’ starts with trumpets and a beat. It’s about someone who has a good side and a bad side; who keeps letting themselves down and feels useless. The track ‘In Gaol (Just Visiting)’ starts with a bell sound and the vocals kick in. The bass line is brilliant, and it sounds like a cross between country and French. It has a harmonica solo, which is brilliant, and then a trumpet solo straight after which is great.
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The track ‘Rich Man Rich’ starts with guitar riffs. It’s about a rich man, and also about being poor. The vocals and backing vocals are really good. The track ‘Gamelataki Taki’ has a very interesting sound at the start; it has a mixture of different instruments which all go together very well. Again, just a musical piece with no vocals, and it sounds very intense. The track ‘Jar After Jar’ starts with banjo sounds, a woman laughing and glasses clinking. It’s about drinking alcohol and acting silly; it sounds like they’re all having fun. The lyrics are very funny; the music is very soft and soothing.
Overall, the album is a fun country album. It’s full of great lyrics and fantastic musicianship. The songs are catchy and interesting. The album is available now to buy and is worth checking out.
