O'Death were a band I knew nothing about until I started my Tuesday-Record-from-Spillers year, but also a band I don't know an awful lot about now. I thought the album was pretty good when I picked it up and I've enjoyed it every time I've played it since, but somehow I've never quite got round to getting into the band any further. Shocking apathy on my behalf.
I bought this one purely off the back of the write-up Spillers had stuck on the sleeve in the shop. I can't remember what it said, but clearly it appealed to me. I varied between buying records by bands I knew and bands I'd never heard of a lot during that year and it looks like after a few Tuesdays of safe bets I fancied something new. Descriptions I've since read of the band tend to include some combination of any of the following words: alternative, country, Americana, gothic, dark, folk. The write-up in Spillers probably mentioned at least two of those and I figured it was worth the gamble.
Anyway, it worked out pretty well. The band certainly have a fairly unique sound (especially within my record collection) and I like it. The vocals and violins are at times a bit grating, but if I'm in the right mood I don't notice. The pace is brilliantly fast and most of the songs start sounding like I've "done a John Peel" and put the record on at the wrong speed. I'd say that any combination of those genre-names work to describe O'Death's strange but enjoyable music.
My personal favourites are Legs to Sin and Home, and if you want a darker twist to your folk/country I'd recommend checking them out.
Format: 12", picture sleeve
Tracks: 14
Cost: £13 new
Bought: Spillers
When: 30/09/08
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no
