Mountain Witch - Burning Village

One of the very first albums I seriously reviewed was Mountain Witch's Cold River. They're a long way from the most famous band I had anything to do with, and they're a long way from the highest score I gave, yet it's one of the records I can bring most easily to mind. There was a charm to it's infectious groove and cold dark spaces that just grew and grew. So when I noticed they were bringing out another album, I had to listen.

Burning Village is the new one and it's got something of a new sound too. Listen to opener 'The Dead Won't Sleep' and you'll hear it. This is more straight up rock and roll, music you could nod to along in the pub. The vocals still have that distant otherworldly sound but it's now married to something a lot warmer. And there ain't nothing wrong with that.

The problem is I'm not sure what's so right about it either. It's good background music but the acid-soaked leads that grabbed my memory so long ago just aren't there. Only with the closer 'Isle of Bones' do I get the vibe of Cold River. Now, yes, it's bad form to badmouth an album simply because I wish it had been the last one, but at the same time 'Isle of Bones' is the best thing here.

The fair way to judge any product is to ask yourself 'How much will the people this was meant for like it'. It doesn't appeal to me but is it going to appeal to others? The answer is probably. For people who want something simple and old fashioned, Burning Village will be an enjoyable listening experience. I mean, hell, I found it an enjoyable listening experience. 

I just can't remember what it was like.

Go and have a listen, but listen before you pay money.