Are you ready to take a journey and listen to some stories about Pain & Other Simple Pleasures? If so, then prepare yourself and get ready to enter the world of The Bloodshot Gamblers. You will be engulfed by a world full of despair, addiction, pain, depression and heartbreak. Now wait a minute though…I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about this concept album because it’s not all about rainy days & cloudy hearts. Actually, The Bloodshot Gamblers brighten up the skies with their rocked out, hard-edged style.
The group is made up of two solid musicians based in Arizona: Tim David Kelly on guitars & vocals and Brian Anderson on electric bass. Both members are responsible for writing/performing all the songs on this new record while Kelly produced, engineered & mixed the record and Anderson supplied the art & photos. Tim David Kelly even helped by supplying the drums, strings & sonic textures. The multi-talented/multi-dimensional artists come from the MCA modern rock band Kicking Harold. This duo has a lot to offer from a musical standpoint, so sit back and soak in Pain & Other Simple Pleasures.
Upon listening to this album, I have to say that I really love TB-SG’s overall style. They offer up a fresh alternative vibe to go along with elements of classic & hard rock. Then…throw in some dismal lyrics with a load of energy and you have yourself some Bloodshot Gamblers. Something that stood out to me was the brashness of Kelly’s voice and how well it worked on this record. Particularly on track seven, “Someday”, you experience Tim’s vocal approach as being a meaningful one as I really felt this song. On song 10, “Spinning My Wheels”, you hear Tim David Kelly singing out in frustration with some very dark-minded lyrics. Feelings are expressed perfectly throughout this album like on “Desperate Spider Web” where you get a bit of gloom and actually sense that feeling of desperation portrayed by The Bloodshot Gamblers’ personal “Spider Web”. Aside from the stand-out singing, the words being vocalized also display major significance. For instance on “Start Again”, you get that sense that there is a fresh start to life after all. On track 11, “Touch and a Smile”, the Bloodshot Gamblers prove to us that all you need “every once in awhile is just a touch and a smile”. You get a good, positive message here to go hand-in-hand with a nice-sounding melody and good vocal harmonies. On song 12, “Wounded Once Again”, you receive bone-chilling words that will make your skin crawl.
When it’s all over, this record and this group has an interesting mix of songs that will definitely hold your attention span. Despite all the negative connotations, the music is extremely catchy with some cool guitar parts & edgy rock moments. From beginning to end, you will be hooked! The Bloodshot Gamblers stress that you listen at your own risk because they say that this disc “can cause dependency and may trigger depression and anxiety.” BEWARE THE BLOODSHOT GAMBLERS!!! For more on this dangerous group and their equally dangerous new release, Pain & Other Simple Pleasures, SKOPE out www.myspace.com/thebloodshotgamblers.
By Jimmy Rae (jrae@skopemag.com)
[Rating: 4/5]
