RECORD TURNOVER

Indian Wars first came to my attention through their affiliation with Dead Ghosts and a brilliant first 45 “Ghost Letter”. Since then, they have faithfully stayed with Bachelor and now deliver their second longplayer. For a Canadian band, they seem unnaturally attuned to down-South roots music. A few whiffs of country rock and bluegrass flicker by as titles like “Mississippi”, “Florida” and “Pastor Phillips” set the tone of the album. Songs From the North does kind of feel like a trip “There and Back Again”, as the opening track is called. A musical trip both back over latitudinal lines and back in time. “Windshield Wiper Blues”, “Wastin’ Time” and “Already Home” reinforce a travelling theme, while the full-on “Denny” invariably brings to mind fellow garage/country enthusiasts Denney & the Jets. Although Vancouver is a long way from Nashville, these groups share what is currently quite an unusual mindset. It’s a gritty sound, miles away from The Jayhawks or other staples of modern country rock. It’s no surprise to learn that the entire Indian Wars set was cut in one studio session. I think they shine the brightest on the sparkly second track “Sweetheart of the North”, where they mix up their sound with some West Coast folk rock (hear it below). Closing track “Who Needs a Girls Like You” with its lengthy Dylan-circa-’65 jam also impresses.