The Devil Makes Three - Spirits - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The beauty of The Devil Makes Three is the way they take an old-time musical genre and, by putting their own imprint on it, turn it into something that lives and breathes anew, passing the torch to a new generation, just as stateside rock fans learned about the likes of pioneers Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly from the first wave of British Invasion bands. With their latest album, Spirits, the band continues this tradition by incorporating their signature punk, folk and bluegrass sound along with country and singer-songwriter leanings. InchThat's what we set out to do. We wanted to use these musical forms to talk about current issues,Inch explains Pete Bernhard. InchWe didn't want to just sing about trains and mining and drinking. For myself, it didn't seem relevant. Folk music should be about what's happening now, just as it was when Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan did it. Our music is not just a re-enactment of something old and dusty.Inch The song titles alone describe the band's return to a stripped-down, drum-less sound and songs that reflect the ongoing struggle to survive amid the uncertainties of the current volatile climate InchDark Gets the Best of You,Inch InchDivide and Conquer,Inch InchGhost are Weak,Inch InchHard Times,Inch InchI Love Doing Drugs,Inch InchPoison WellInch and InchThe Devil Wins.Inch The tracks were recorded at Dreamland, part of a converted church compound outside Woodstock in upstate New York which offered some haunted moments of it's own, with plenty of spooky thunderstorms and lightning. InchThere's definitely a theme of ghosts and death running through this album,Inch acknowledged Bernhard, who lost his mother, brother and closest childhood friend while making the record. InchIt also has a good amount of political material, a reflection on how divided people are these days, just trying to find common ground.