Pinmonkey - Big Shiny Cars

Another crack disc from this amazing little independent group who have managed to come into the mainstream spotlight a few times and yet maintain their unique identity and strong rootsy sound. They continue to defy genre lines by drawing from all sorts of country/Americana, blending a trace of bluegrass with a modern alt-country sound that's uniquely Pinmonkey.

I've liked Pinmonkey ever since I first heard them, when their surprise single "Barbed Wire & Roses" hit the mainstream charts. They were viewed as one of those odd anomalies, a true real country band that somehow managed to "cross over" onto the country charts! (And I can't review Pinmonkey without a tip of the quill to their name from a fellow "Simpsons" fan.) But even though the alt-country snobs might have sniffed some, we learned fast that these boys were legit, and their music has continued true and pure and one-hundred-percent real country, which they prove with their new disc, "Big Shiny Cars," on their new label, Back Porch.

With each song, Pinmonkey approaches country music with their own manner and somehow manage to come out sounding traditional, yet new. They swing and twang a little with "Wrapped," they head for the hollers with "Mountain Song," and they install a mournful blues sound with a wicked dobro line into the magnificent title track, "Big Shiny Cars," with its almost eerie refrain and poignant lyrics.

This is a solid disc, with some strong songs and some tight playing. It's a great listen.