Country Anguish
Since his days asThe Screaming Trees drummer, Mark Pickerel has mellowed but also developed his voice and style. Opener 'Forest Fire' is a light, strum-happy rock country tune with drive and character; it never gets lost in the fields looking for a girl or stalls in the bar to drown its sorrows. 'Come Home Blues' is a bubbly blues tune with Pickerel's voice rolling around at the depth of its register, yet shining through like a sprightly, smooth Elvis while keys twinkle and ethereal "ba ba" backing vocals float around; it's a lovely mix of gravity and coquettery. 'I'll Wait' has the same gravelly slow charm and classic lyrics like, "It was clear from the start/you own my body, you own my heart" which have a wonderful airy country feel and should by rights be sung on the porch of a ranch.
'A Town Too Fast For Your Blues' picks up the pace with some sincere guitar solos and keyboard swing while Pickerel's vocals race anxiously. 'Graffiti Girl', has a tune that matches its instant name; it rumbles and shimmers through a story about a young muse with added sighing female vocals.
'Ask The Wind, Ask The Sea' and 'Don't Look Back' wears Pickerel's influences in the form of Cohen and Cave amongst others on his sleeve, while 'You'll Be Mine' has an impatient indie vibe in its intermittent psychedelic guitar riffs. Title track 'Snake In The Radio' limps mournfully along full of pain and anguish like a dying cowboy roasting beneath the desert heat.
This album may not push any boundaries, but it is good quality, moving country music from a man who was previously merely regarded as a drummer and is now exploring his own sound and creating some interesting songs. Pickerel could go far if he continues to make the sound his own, 'Snake In The Radio' is far from a bad album and definitely worth a listen.