Two Gallants What The Toll Tells. Release Date : February 21, 2006. Label: Saddle Creek. Rating: Excellent. (Screw points. To each his own!) Hot damn! Two Gallants is one of my top 'new' bands of the year. Ever since getting a breath of word about them, I've been 100% engaged, and now that I finally have the album in my eager dusty ghost town hands, I can barely contain my glee. That's right, glee. The smokin' opening track, "Las Cruces Jail," is still the strongest track ont he entire CD, with a classic western movie soundtrack opening, before launching unmercilessly into a country-branded outlaw song. Lightly folky amongst it's snarly, loud, charging rock overtones, it's a song that could have been penned originally by Johnny Cash. Only it's not. It's original. Caterwauling vocals, twisted tortured and whiskey-fuelled, rage about no one posting bail and shooting down the law... never you mind the tumbleweed-blowing whistlelude at the end. Fair enough much of the album from then on slides down into an easy plodding-old-nag style folk deal. Sleepy tempos, lots of guitars, and still that scratchy voice from Adam Stephens. At times, it comes across like The Pogues... and yes the North American country feel is offset slightly by an Irish ballad vibe. Interesting blend. The voice extols anguish and sorrow, longing and sombreness. It's a fitting addition to the Saddle Creek label, I must say. There's nothing in this cover to indicate that the Saddle Creek tradition of swapping and contributing band members to virtually every other project on the label has occurred here, but I wouldn't doubt it. Mellow harmonics pour in on "Some Slender Rest." Not until "Long Summer Day," a tune about classes and honest-hardworking vs. lazy-powerful-gluttonous, does the album resurrect into a chipper mode. Spazzy, guitars all over the place, impossible picking with little structure it seems, the song is terribly fun. Back and forth in tone, the songs reel from lonely desert lulls to wild west saloon shootout. A marvellous showing by a couple kids who look barely a whit like country singers. Such a pained wail escapes midway through "Threnody In Minor B," barely audible through the forefront haze. Gentle cellos sift in here as well, creating a stunningly beautiful tune. This tranquility is swiftly shattered by the WTF chaos of "16th Street Dozens," a song with an instrumental opening that lacks any form whatsoever. It's like someone walked into the recording room, put earmuffs on everyone, and went "smash your instruments as hard as you can!" Song of choice : super duper love "Las Cruces Jail." -Andy Scheffler Elsewhere Two Gallants website Published : January, 2007.