Acid Rain & Sugar Cane

Country-rock institution Wagons get louder and more visceral than ever before on their sixth album, writes SAMUEL J FELL.

One would be disappointed if Wagons didn’t drop something grandiose as this ragged country punk ?n? roll collective lead into a new album. Something sweeping. Dare I say, epic.

They’ve never been ones to do things by halves, front(wild)man Henry Wagons a shining example of such. Not a chap to shy away from anything, his stage demeanour is more akin to a Pentecostal preacher channeling God himself than someone merely singing a song in front of a group of people. The band have forged a reputation for merging the odd with the musically adventurous, tight and scruffy at the same time, and as such we expect great things on a regular basis.

And so Henry, fresh from his recent-ish solo exploits (2012?s Expecting Company?*) has quite literally circled the Wagons and we now see the band releasing its fifth LP, *Acid Rain & Sugar Cane. And yes, it is grandiose. Sweeping. Epic – although perhaps not in the way you’d expect.

Proceedings begin innocently enough via ?Hold On Caroline?, a lilting piano giving way to very Wagons-esque country twang before you’re assaulted with horns (courtesy of the horn section from funk/soul ensemble Saskwatch), and, as Wagons sings in an echoey vocal that’d fit comfortably in anything Ennio Morricone ever penned: ?It’s kicking in.? It is, and it doesn’t let up for the rest of the record.

For Wagons have struck off down a different path here. To hell with the consequences, they say. It’s one which sees the band exude a muscular rock ?n? roll vibe – very warm, Laurel Canyon, 1970s – but a sound that thunders and bounces about with more visceral intent than anything they’ve released thus far.

On board as producer, and indeed as an extra member of the band, is Mick Harvey, that master of the dark musical arts. Harvey not only guides the good ship Wagons, but contributes on every song via either piano, organ, guitar or percussion, helping to make a reality this fleshy beast the band have elected to tame. At least, as much as they can.

?Talk to Her? slithers across barroom floors, at once sultry and sleazy, a country-blues hybrid about chatting up women with the ?right combination of charm and sass,? ?the perfect union of demure and bold.? ?Fortitude Valley? is a leather-jacketed honkytonk rumbler (with keys from the mighty Steve Hesketh): ?Women to the left of me, jokers to the right,? Henry half borrows with a growl, referencing the clientele you’ll find in Brisbane’s seedy entertainment precinct.

?Why Do You Always Cry? begins with a crash, carrying on in a lethargic fashion, almost orchestral in its layered arrangement, yet still with that gritty, heavy feel about it. Even when they’re being ?quiet? on Acid Rain & Sugar Cane (?Why Do You Always Cry?, ?Beer Barrel Bar?, closer ?Dust in the Hall?), they’re being loud. Louder than they’ve ever been before. And it works fucking well.

Time obviously hasn’t dulled the chemistry exhibited by the band’s rhythm section – Mark ?Tuckerbag? Dawson and Si the Philanthropist – and guitarists Richard Blaze and Long John Guscott in the slightest. If anything, Acid Rain & Sugar Cane sees them tighter than ever before, all while seeing them shamble about the sonic canvas like half-crazed cowboys, shitfaced on rum and wine – which is, of course, part of Wagons? appeal.

As such, this album is grandiose. It is sweeping. It is, indeed, epic. It’s Wagons, and we expect great things on a regular basis – with good reason.

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##?Acid Rain & Sugar Cane? is out now on CD, vinyl and digital through Spunk. Tour dates below.

Fri, June 6 – Barwon Club, Geelong, VIC [w/Jonny Fritz]
Sat, June 7 – Hi-Fi, Melbourne, VIC [w/Jonny Fritz]
Sun, June 8 – Karova Lounge, Ballarat, VIC [w/Jonny Fritz]
Thurs, June 12 – The Abbey, Canberra, ACT [w/Jonny Fritz]
Fri, June 13 – RAD, Wollongong, NSW [w/Jonny Fritz]
Sat, June 14 – Factory Theatre, Sydney, NSW [w/Jonny Fritz]
Sun, June 15 – Lizottes, Newcastle, NSW [w/Jonny Fritz]
Fri, June 20 – The Zoo, Brisbane, QLD
Sat, June 21 – Railway Hotel, Darwin, NT