Each new solo album Hot Water Music vocalist-guitarist Chuck Ragan has released under his name has been a leap forward sonically. From the stripped-down tracks that saw release via a series of 7-inches to his 2011 full-length Covering Ground, Ragan has carved himself a niche that comfortably occupies the space between bluegrass and rock ‘n’roll. For his fourth album Till Midnight, Ragan turned long-time collaborators into a full-blown backing band known as The Camaraderie, and on the fittingly incendiary opener “Something May Catch Fire” (which The A.V. Club is premiering below), the band finds ways to transform Ragan’s post-hardcore roots into the drawl of Americana.
The two already released tracks, “Something May Catch Fire” and “Non Typical” sound legit. Can’t wait to hear the rest.
I loved Covering Ground but ‘Till Midnight is right up there. A bit different in sound but no less appealing to the ears.