The Baptist Generals are a three piece Southwestern influenced rock band from Denton, Texas. The band's American debut album, No Silver/No Gold, is available on Sub Pop records.
Decapolis is the place I learned what the phrase "Don't mess with Texas" meant. Anyone who has encountered a citizen of the Lone Star state knows there is more nationalism in that single hunk of humid acreage than could be found in any early 20th century European empire. Native Texans or the recently relocated swell with pride and love for their expansive and immigrant laden state. Truly "don't mess with Texas" is a dire warning to the uneducated rather than some piece of friendly advice.
The Baptist Generals are a distinctly Texan group, in the way that Willie Nelson, Hank Hill, or fine scientific calculators are distinctly Texan. Acoustic driven music played unlike any other acoustic driven group you've ever heard, this rock band has more in common with the Gene Autry records your grandfather listened to than it does with some new alt-country or bluegrass group. The guitar is played solely for rhythm in perfect harmony with the drums making a superbly clumsy sound that would make the White Stripes jealous. The bass or cello or guitarron depending on the track, accentuates the clunky beats with smooth, long notes. The only real melody is provided by the unconventional leadman Chris Flemmons, a 33 year old Ft. Worthian with a voice that sounds as if it belongs to a southern Gospel preacher or disabled blues guitarist, but the Baptist Generals are no Gaither Vocal trio or Blind Boys of Alabama.
No Silver/No Gold is as rough and dry as the callused hands of a migrant worker. Recorded by the band in a garage, the album sounds like a weathered old 75" from a bygone era of dust bowls and chain gangs. Flemmons warbles words that you would expect to hear in a bar on a musty Indian summer night. Songs like "Alcohol (Turn & Fall)" and "Perservative" capture the lively spirit (or drunken stupor?) found in most classic western songs. "Feds on the Highway" and "St. Christopher's Medal" ring with the slow, balladic style that influenced folk music. The entire album is as context-ridden as a Flannery O'Connor piece and equally as distinctly Southern.
The sound of the Baptist Generals seems out of place. It's not avant garde, on the contrary it seems like a re-release from the golden age of cowboy movies and pipe smoking. If you are a fan of the recent alt-country, garage, blues rock, or bluegrass movements, the Baptist Generals may be just what you are looking for to bridge the gaps between all the aforementioned genres. But, as the press sheet says, they are for people who hate being asked what kind of music they listen to. It will be nice to see what this band can do in the future. I expect that they will reach the height of indie stardom, and when that day comes you'll wish you had heard No Silver/No Gold first.
B-
Other coverage for this album
Opus 2003Reviewed by Chris BrownThere's a danger inherent in over-anticipating a record, or anything else for that matter. You obsess on what you think is coming, you chart its progress the best you can, and you imagine what the final product will be. If what actually arrives doesn't match what you were hoping for, it tends to be met with a sigh and a gradual slide in obscurity. Such is the case with the new Baptist Generals…Similar sounding releases
2002Tall DwarfsThe Sky Above, The Mud Below
2000Joseph ArthurCome to Where I'm From
1995DanielsonA Prayer for Every Hour
1999Bright EyesEvery Day and Every Night
1997Havalina Rail Co.Russian Lullabies
2003Frog EyesThe Golden River
