Song, by Toad

I think it is fair to say that the gypsy folk schtick is getting a little old now.  Not that I don’t love it, just that it has been fucking ages since I saw a band without a fiddle player.  I would rather it was an active choice, rather than just a knee-jerk reflex.

Punch & the Apostles may be gypsy folk, but they lean more towards the wayward Mariachi of the likes of Devotchka than they do towards Beuirut.  There’s plenty of screeched vocals that recall Black Rider-era Tom Waits from time to time as well, so this is pretty much right up my street.  There is a throaty, manic energy to them, and impression reinforced by the “sweaty” description of their single launch party on the Lucky Number Nine site.

The single, Asylum, is out now on 7″ with accompanying CD-R, and available here.  The frantic energy of it all actually reminds me a little of Man Man as well, now that I think about it, albeit earlier, better Man Man because I didn’t like their last album much at all.

Ultimately, I think I am finding the format a little bit overused of late.  Once the last folk revival, as epitomised by the likes of The Pogues and The Waterboys and so on, petered out we were rescued by Britpop – by the brilliance of Blur and Pulp.  Which movement is going to take that job this time?

In any case, vague genre moaning aside is doing these lads a disservice, because I love their stuff.  There’s not a scrap of the knowing feyness of a lot of current new folk, which makes it a genuine pleasure to listen to, and they seem like pretty bloody talented musicians.  And if anything pains me about the gypsy folk movement it’s that too few of them embraced Mariachi like they bloody well should have.  Like this lot have.

Punch & the Apostles – Nouveau Gypsy
Punch & the Apostles – The Bull Ring Pt. 1

MySpace | Buy the single from Lucky Number Nine Records