Labels: ash from sweat
Review by: Tom Sloan
This one’s a bit of a departure for a label many C-ziners will revere for putting out some stonking emo over the last few years that is at least decade out of fashion. Ash From Sweat should be applauded for that, with a few ripples reserved for this folk / instrumental rock split single too. Joseph Childress offers a track of fingerpicking and singing, simple and repetitive, with a deceptive grace aided by some unassuming instrumentation backing things up. After two or three spins I would still extol the music in the same way, with the caveat that one track probably isn’t enough for this kind of thing to make a lasting imprint “” I suspect Childress’s earnest and humble songs would blossom with some more space to breathe than can be afforded on one side of a 7-inch single. Strangers Die Everyday succeed in creating tension and drama in a artfully put-together piece, sparing us of guitar effects and over-production, instead relying on some nicely arranged cello to lead things along. Their reliance on a traditional stringed instrument, rather than a guitar to lead the melody is to their credit. Their song here reminds me a bit of the UK band Spokes.