Two Gallants

by | Sep 27, 2012 | Reviews

The Bloom and the Blight

San Francisco, CA

(ATO Records)

“SF duo creates loud, raucous record to perfectly capture rock and roll”

If you’re the kind of person who judges songs within the first five seconds of hearing them, you might be a little disappointed with Two Gallants’ latest work. That’s because, on The Bloom and the Blight, the pair have perfected the art of backing into a song.  You have to hang on until at least 15 seconds in for each track to get to where it’s going. It’s usually somewhere very different than where it started, but it’s never somewhere boring.

After a crushing hiatus, San Francisco’s distortion kings Two Gallants are back with The Bloom and the Blight, their long-awaited new release. A raucous record that swings wildly between tender truths and bold affirmations, The Bloom and the Blight is a riotous return to form.

Expanding on the folk influences that have served them so well in the past, Bloom and Blight ripples with raw conviction. Each song walks a delicate line between two sounds:  hushed ballads full of declarations of devotion and bittersweet farewells, and an untamed assault of drums and guitar. It’s formulaic, but it’s still full of surprises: two songs in and you find yourself bracing for a blast of thrash that may or not come at the end of every verse. [editor’s note – in simpler terms, this record fucking rules.]

Produced by John Congleton

www.twogallants.com