Burning Tree - Squarepusher

...first see the cover of Burning Trees eponymous album, you automatically get an idea of what you are about to be treated to. The individual shots of the band look like shots of any number of musicians from the early seventies, a fact that they were probably proud of and one that hides the actual release of the album, 1990.
The seventies feel doesnt end there but oozes from every note of their music. Their influences are worn openly upon their ...
...listed.
That aside, Burning Tree are no plagaristic rip off merchants, the songs may have a feel of a different era but they are still original. These guys are revivalists rather than thieves, taking old styles of music and giving it new life.
For a three piece they manage to weave an intricate sound. Its so easy for many bands to compensate for imagination or talent by just turning up the volume and creating a wall of noise to fill ... more

When you first see the cover of Burning Trees eponymous album, you automatically get an idea of what you are about to be treated to. The individual shots of the band look like shots of any number of musicians from the early seventies, a fact that they were probably proud of and one that hides the actual release of the album, 1990.
The seventies feel doesnt end there but oozes from every note of their music. Their influences are worn openly upon their collective sleeves, Hendrix, Clapton, Cream, Blind Faith immediately spring to mind. Im sure you could pass these songs off as unleased material by any one of those band just listed.
That aside, Burning Tree are no plagaristic rip off merchants, the songs may have a feel of a different era but they are still original. These guys are revivalists rather than thieves, taking old styles of music and giving it new life.
For a three piece they manage to weave an intricate sound. Its so easy for many bands to compensate for imagination or talent by just turning up the volume and creating a wall of noise to fill in the gaps. None of that short sightedness her, the guitar creates a tapestry of sound that is laced around the bass which seems to move between doing the work of a second guitar and its normal role. The drum rythmns hold everything together and provide a solid driving beat with enough variation to remain interested with Marc Fords booze soaked voice soaring above the music to complete the effect. In keeping with the times that they are trying to replicate, production processing is kept to a minimal giving a raw edge and benefiting from it. Many bands spend buck loads of money trying to replicate that seventies studio sound.

So whats the album all about. Well, after all that I have said to build it up, as you can imagine it has very much a sleazy, retro-rock sound, driving raging slabs of high octane guitar rock, revealing in its own power. Masquerade and Burning Tree, the song, and Fly On are all stand out tracks that will get your toes tapping immediately. What this band seem to do well is create a groove in the song, a fusion of bass and drum forming an inescapable hypnotic rythmn in the songs bowls that draws you in and makes you want to dance.
It does have its mellower moments treated with equal proffesionalism and imagination. Crush, a song about the fickleness of music fans, is more ballady and Bakers Song with its high lead bass and minimal acoustic guitar introduction is a thing of pure beauty, a song of pain and devotion. It isnt sufficient to go through the album track by track, its the overall feeling Im trying to capture and if you like what youve read so far then it is only required for me to say that there is not one weak track on the album.

All in all its one for the seventies rock fans, but should be checked out by anyone serious about good guitar bands. The sorry thing about Burning Tree is that as far as im aware they made only this one album, Marc Ford selling him self out to become second guitarist in the Black Crowes, the other two, Mark Dutton and Doni Grey eventually joining Izzy Straddlin in his Ju Ju Hounds project, both of which are good references points for what you can expect from this album.

In a sentence, this band should have been massive so do treat yourself to their one and only album, cream always rises to the top.

 

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