Most brothers and sisters regard country music lovers as they would inhabitants of a leper colony. But, unlike leprosy, it ain’t all bad. Just because you wince at the thought of dueling banjos or Keith Urban’s cock rock country doesn’t mean you can’t be rewarded by an alternative; and there are such available in Australia.
One such gem is the Kill Devil Hills. Hailing from the physically sparse Western Australia (and sounding like it too), the group’s imposing lyrics and darkly raucous tone result in a kind of stand over man presence. Though not all that heavy in the obvious sonic sense, they make the hopefully near-exhausted hardcore incarnations which are still lingering seem all soft and gooey on the inside. The Kill Devil Hills’ often-psychotic vision is best presented on sophomore album The Drought which was released in 2006 on Torn & Frayed.
The Drought is not without its filler, however. A few songs luck the guts needed to keep a tight hold on the listener. A song like Jesus Train, for instance, deserved to sound like a WA freight train but ends up just chugging along to nowhere. But this isn’t a big deal because there are too many beauties here that are hard to ignore. In Brendon Humphries, the Kill Devil Hills really have an Australian Kurt Wagner ( of Nashville’s Lambchop ) in the making. His lyrics are similarly internally focused and world weary, though the two’s delivery are poles apart. Where Wagner’s hushed, affecting vocals comfort the lonesome, Humphries’ baritone strengthens the weakened faithful – a tough new friend, imagined or otherwise, to protect you.
The album’s focal point is undoubtedly its title track. The Drought is one of those songs that seems bottomless and yet is immediately accessible. Nick Cave often sung with the Dirty Three in their formative years, and this song is evocative of what might have been had that collaboration flourished. Regardless of any comparison, the Kill Devil Hills could pen the perfect soundtrack to Cave’s next Western. On The Forsaken Few, Humphries sings, “Excuse me baby if I don’t dance with you, But I been drinkin’ all night with the forsaken few.” More like the lucky few.
