HOLLY GOLIGHTLY AND THE BROKEOFFS
Medicine County
(TRANSDREAMER RECORDS)
[Rating: 3.5 stars]
On their third studio album, Medicine County, Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs find the sweet spot somewhere between swanky twang and acoustic charm. One might not imagine a seasoned British singer-songwriter as the best candidate to take on classic American folk tunes like “Jack O’ Diamonds” or “Blood on the Saddle.” However, with the help of equally enigmatic bandmate Lawyer Dave, Holly Golightly produces music that both sounds authentic and exudes confidence in expanding on and reinventing old standards.
If the male-female harmonies and romping folk-rock on this record remind you of middle era White Stripes, don’t be alarmed. In fact, Holly Golightly collaborated with Jack and Meg on Elephant. In this case, the female vocalist is at the helm and Lawyer Dave can’t quite achieve that Jack White squeal, but the similarities are there. Nevertheless, the two prove their range with more ethereal tracks like “Dearly Departed.” On “When He Comes,” they demonstrate an instrumental and technical prowess as well. What initially seem like fairly formulaic riffs morph into a soundscape of banjo and slide guitar samples that punctuate the otherwise simple tune with more complex rhythmic schemes.
Considering their supposed distance from the type of music they make, it’s easy to pass off Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs as a glorified cover band. As soon as you can get over the novelty, though, you should be pleasantly surprised. With some good old-fashioned ingenuity, the band outdoes the nameless Brooklyn folk outfits and innumerable tongue-in-cheek bowties with some genuinely decent music.