In just a short time,
the Scud Mountain Boys have risen from relative obscurity (two 1995 albums for indie label Chunk) to a well-earned spot on the Sub Pop roster.
The Boys' new album,
Massachusetts, is once again a quiet, mostly acoustic collection of soft-spoken songs based around spare country rhythms and laid-back, whisper-light melodies.
Massachusetts is more down to earth than the faux-hillbilly ramble poems of
Palace Music, but also far less Americana-ized than
Son Volt or any of the No Depression hangers-on. The sudden national attention seems not to have spooked
the Scuds, and so while
Massachusetts feels better crafted than the band's previous two albums -- more mature in terms of songwriting -- it retains the easygoing, kitchen-table spirit that marked the band's earlier work. This is music that moves slowly but grows on you quickly. ~ Kurt Wolff