"The Commandments According To SCAC" album review!

If you’re not familiar with dark folk, or the Denver Sound, you’re about to fall down a haunting melodic rabbit hole. This post punk genre has roots in the Southwestern US, particularly Denver, CO as early as the late 1980’s. It’s extremely fringe, and specific to a uniquely tuned music lover, and if you are that person, the Denver Sound will awaken something in you. It’s dark, romantic and lends itself as the soundtrack of personal tragedy. Also commonly referred to as Gothic Americana, the Denver Sound is rich in history and influences from country to indie, Latin to Italian. It’s a hand stitched quilt of musical and cultural influences.

I’m certain I’ll be writing a more comprehensive blog about the Denver Sound [..as it’s probably my favorite], but if you’re already intrigued, the cornerstones of this genre are bands like Tarantella, 16 Horsepower, Reverend Glasseye, The Harlots, Munly and The Lupercalians, Woven Hand, Von Stomper, Jezebel Jones and Her Wicked Ways and the esteemed subject of this review, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club!

Slim Cessna goes back to the start of it all. He member of the foundational band, The Denver Gentleman. He started the Auto Club in the early 1990’s and has been steadily at the helm, directing the course the genre has navigated ever since. The Auto Club alumni is compromised of an orchestra of brilliantly gifted songwriters, storytellers and musicians including Munly Munly, Rebecca Vera, Lord Dwight Pentacost, Danny Pants, Ordy Garrison, The Peeler, Ian O’Dougherty, and of course, Silm Cessna.

I discovered SCAC around 2009. I unearthed a few of these Denver Sound bands around the time streaming apps such an Pandora and Spotify became commercially available on smart phones. 16 Horsepower and Reverend Glasseye are still favorites of mine, but none have left the impression on me like Slim Cessna’s Auto Club. I’ve seen the Auto Club several times, and as an old punk that’s been going to shows since I was 15, they’re still the best live performance I’ve ever seen. I’ve been fortunate to photograph them and I’ll include a few images I’ve taken over the years.

SCAC has released past albums under Jello Biafra’s label, Alternative Tentacles and Smooch Records, but last year the band formed their own label, SCACUNICORPORATED including past and future recordings for SCAC, DBUK and Munly & The Leprechauns.  

The anticipated sixth studio release from SCAC, “The Commandments According to SCAC” hit the internet this week. An  album I’ve been looking forward to since the Spring. The band has done a great job of making strategic releases of tracks from the new album. June of this year, I, again, took photos of SCAC’s performance at The Turf Club in St. Paul, MN. During one of their many encores […which is somewhat of a traditional as a tall cowboy, Slim Cessna, again claims the stage with a big gold tooth smile and says "Sure! We’d love to play another song!”]. I was delighted that one of those encores was “Commandment 3”. A ritualist, minimalist track with little more than haunting vocals, clapping, stomping and a banjo [definitely one of my favorite tracks on the album].

The lasting revelation this album has left me with is the remarkeable balance of chemistry SCAC has reached. A feat that can only be reached with decades of collaboration. Munly, in his own right, is a folk legend that has carved out one of the most unique voices and styles in his music and story telling. Rebecca Vera has moments in this album that you feel like you're being serenaded by a ghost. Lord Dwight Pentacost stands on his own, given plenty of room to breath and demonstrate his remarkable guitar prowess. The entire album feels fully baked, balanced and that it’s been painstakingly orchestrated, ensuring ten parts of the same story, rather than a random mix of good and bad songs. 

By now, I’ve made my high exceptions for this release obvious, and I can summarize this review by saying that as one of my favorite bands; a band that is matured and spans over 30 years of performing, touring and recording, this is definitively the best album SCAC has made to date! This review, more than anything, is an attempt to reach those destined to fall in love with Slim Cessna’s Auto Club […and the entire Denver Sound genre]. It’s exciting to think that those just discovering the band, can do with such a strong, allegorical record in 2016. So many bands and artists skate on the early creative magic upon their formation, even leaving die hard fans exclaiming “…you’ve got to listen to their early stuff.” […said every hipster ever]. Not here. “The Commandments According to SCAC” is as good of a jumping on place as you’ll find in their entire discography.

You can listen to the entire album on Spotify, but I strongly encourage you to buy a physical copy or LP as these folks are some of the hardest working musicians in the business. They’re great people, and they contribute a one of a kind gift to humanity. Visit their label www.SCACUNICORPORATED.com for tour dates, albums and info.

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