Single Of The Week: Is Shepherd – Pine Box

By Adam Clery on November 23, 2011 in Music

Who Are They?

~~Is Shepard are~~ ~~Is Shepard is~~ Is Shepard: A Newcastle based, bluesy/rocky three piece sweet. If you’ll cast your mind back all the way to June, we actually introduced this lot to you following the arrival of their ingeniously packaged CD dropped through our letter box. Masquerading as a full on birth certificate and sonogram, their Songs For Sons EP not only caught our eye, but was more than pleasing on the old ear holes.

Since then, the trio have laboured away (I’m hilarious) tirelessly and are on the cusp of unleashing even more noisy newborns on us all. Which we’ll get to further down.

Why We Liked It?

Well, it’s an utterly gorgeous little amalgamation of blues, soul, dark laboured riffs, menacing drumming and whiskey-soaked vocals that echoes elements of national mind-blowers The Bookhouse Boys, and even regional rabble rousers Chased By Wolves.

You know that scene in the Matrix where Neo and Trinity have a shoot-out in the lobbly? Well, imagine if after he set the security alarm off he opened his trenchcoat and there was reverb inside instead of guns. That’s this song.

In an age of dime a dozen, prancing, preening pop pratts, this is delightfully gritty diversion that gets foots nodding and heads tapping with all the gusto of a nervous suspect in a murder trial. I’m not the first person to slap the David Lynch sticker straight on to their foreheads, but it’s one that in its rhythm and feel, is impossible to ignore.

Want To Check Them Out?

Funny you should mention that, as their actually having a small soiree for this very track tomorrow night (24th) at everyone’s favourite halls and walls of noise, The Cluny. The cynical amongst you may find the timing of this SOMEWHAT suspicious, but then you probably think wrestling is real.