The Great Tribulation - The Flood Brought The Fire
Get more info at greattribulation.bandcamp.com
The Great Tribulation's full length debut, The Flood Brought The Fire, is more than a great album, it is a crystalline moment of emergence in the new American Rustbelt Sound. With elements of traditional American country, folk and rock, the foursome of Jeni Lee Richey, Fred Beldin, Tom McCartan and Cory Snavely have exposed the heart of today's American rural soul.
With a little help from their friends Paul Delamater and Mark Wallace, The Flood Brought The Fire sounds less like a debut and more like the work of a family that has been together for generations. What The Great Tribulation delivers in this stunning album is the emotion, feeling and tradition of the great performers of our nations heartland and golden age. Its Route 66, not interstate. It's roadside diner, not fast food. It's whiskey, not light beer.
Perhaps more significant is that "Flood" is part of a new regional sound from the long shadows of Detroit, exemplified by bands like The Blueflowers and Empty Orchestra whose music reflects our society's search for identity in a time of decline. As the so-called recession becomes the new normal, the excesses that defined a generation are now gone and people are searching for their identity without the crutch of brand labels and are rediscovering the ways that America expressed itself in previous times of struggle.
It's a return to basics with a stripped-down approach that allows quiet moments to resonate and reflect. The performances across the board are pitch-perfect with Jeni Lee Richey's vocals lingering long atop steel guitars, and Cory Snavely deserves real credit for drums that never press the tempo. It's a great team effort from people who have a clear idea of the music they want to make and do it lovingly.
Assembled over two years from sessions at Jim Diamond's Ghetto Recorders, Jim Roll's Backseat Productions and Tim Pak's Woodshed Studios, The Flood Brought The Fire is a work of intention, thought, beauty and sadness. Essential.
"Hey, let's go drinking..."
