CD Review

Austin, Texas’ The Gourds had a moderately successful career going in their home state until the release of Gogitchashinebox, which included a cover of Snoop Dogg’s “Gin &Juice,” and instantly became one of the most popular songs on Napster. A strange thing happened after that, instead of falling by the wayside as so many one-hit wonders do, The Gourds continued to release albums that capitalized on the blue-grass hybrid style. Building up a following the old fashioned way, through relentless touring, The Gourds are poised to achieve much wider recognition and substantially increase their fan base with the release of Heavy Ornamentals.

Heavy Ornamentals, the eighth album from The Gourds, contains thirteen new songs that are full of the classic Gourd elements - enigmatic lyrics, soaring melodies and an unfettered sense of musical freedom. Ornamentals serves up its humorous narratives and stories with the same frantic energy, and back porch-feel that has inhabited their previous albums. The opening song “Declineometer” sets the stage for the rest of the album with its infectious upbeat attitude that gets one's foot stomping in time instantly. With its description of four unique living situations including deadbeats, lesbians, and taking the trash out, “New Roommate” deals with those down-home humorous topics that The Gourds have become known for. “Weather Woman” tries to tackle the deep issue that singer Jimmy Smith describes as the “the absurdity of meteorologists.” Ornamentals even found time in the midst of this absurdity to include a rare instrumental track, the brief, but heartfelt “Stab.”

With the release of Heavy Ornamentals, The Gourds have allowed each song to become an excuse to meld their mish-mash hybrid blue-grass style with relatable lyrics that makes everyone laugh and feel at home.