A melancholy bluegrass album from ‘Trampled by Turtles’

If, face down and laid on the ground I was ever to be trampled by turtles, providing the turtles weren’t of the Galapagos variety, it would be akin to a pretty good back massage. I get the same feeling from listening to the racing bluegrass in the opening track from ‘Life is Good on the Open Road’ the album of the band by the same name, the same name being ‘Trampled by Turtles’. Although thinking about it again the opening track is more like an excoriating back scrub rather than a massage. But the opening track is slightly misleading, because there is an undeniable melancholy threaded throughout the album: picture my masseur, now human and no longer turtle, found in a depressive stupor in a darkened corner of my Turkish bath. The music in this album would be the introspective thoughts in my masseur’s head. Trampled by Turtles know how to take a saddening turn, and yet they keep things tasty by occasionally picking up the pace and breaking loose into a bluegrass gallop. Being American and all, and with me having an untrained ear, their music reminds me a little of The Band and Neil Young, but also of the more country inspired indie bands like The Lemonheads, Cat Power, The Levellers and Soul Asylum. The voice of David Simonett is the male twin of that of Chan Marshall. Despite these musical references, Trampled by Turtles more than hold their own, they’ve got integrity, they’re clearly not trying to be someone else and they’ve got a beautiful album here. Above all the album is sweet, emotionally sweet, and often sad. I’ve been listening to it again and again, I can’t wait to play it to friends and seeing the band live would sure be a treat.

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