I always find genres to be tricky concepts, never quite doing their job correctly, forever letting you down and probably never really fitting the band or artist’s image of their music. It’s especially true when dealing with labels for music from outside the UK, where I am based. For example, what is roots music? What exactly is the Americana sound? What does the term country music actually mean?
Well, if roots music describes music which to some degree harkens back to the formative styles that contemporary music evolved from, if Americana says something about a sonic sense of location and culture, and country music is used for songs which reflect the working class narratives and folk traditions and of The USA, then The International Treasures are a band who sit in the sacred space where all of those sounds ebb and flow around each other.
Wild is a brilliant example of all those influences at work, with core members Doyle Turner and Ted Hajnasiewicz masterfully intertwining vocals and acoustic guitars and using that as the perfect platform to embrace a range of additional gorgeous sounds. Sounds such as a gently driving backbeat, a spiralling and slightly melancholy folky fiddle, the country tones and textures that only come from the inclusion of pedal steel guitar and some deft and dexterous mandolin breaks.
A neat and spacious song, and an excellent delivery, even with so many players; the skill here is to ensure that no one steps on each other’s musical toes and that every player is there for a reason. It’s called serving the song, and Wild has been well served by the clever composition, the innovative weave of sounds and a less is more attitude. (It’s a cliche for a reason, folks.) This is my first taste of The International Treasures, but it is fair to say that I will be back for more.
