Mach-Zehnder

This debut full-length is a collection of fairly straightforward Americana songs — that is, if your idea of straightforward Americana songs involves running into the Devil on the roads of the high plains. "Ballad From Below" embodies the half-acoustic, half-electric sound most of these tunes use as they explore the...

By Tom Murphy

November 18, 2010

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This debut full-length is a collection of fairly straightforward Americana songs — that is, if your idea of straightforward Americana songs involves running into the Devil on the roads of the high plains. "Ballad From Below" embodies the half-acoustic, half-electric sound most of these tunes use as they explore the themes of faith and supernatural peril as metaphors for existential uncertainty. Through spare melodies and Matt Hayman's quavering voice, the band evokes the psychic weight borne by the cosmically terrified who seek solace in the goodness of God against the temptations of Old Scratch. Sonically, there is some resemblance to Munly & the Lee Lewis Harlots, but without the spooky trappings. Ultimately, this is an album of cowboy songs to sing around a campfire while sharing cautionary tales of dark nights on the trail.

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Tom Murphy is a writer, visual artist and musician from Aurora, Colorado. He was a prolific music writer for Westword and a documenter of the Denver music scene.

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