Saddle of Southern Darkness – “Compelled to Dig”

saddle of southern darkness

Saddle of Southern Darkness is an apt name for this group, as their sound is probably what you’d imagine – darkly narrative takes on twangy southern-rock and Americana, and done damn well. Based out of Denver, Colorado, the project formed last year by brothers Trent and Chase Williams, originally from Owensboro, Kentucky. A varied musical taste with an apprecation for everything from metal to country inspired their 9-song debut. Alongside upright bassist Mark Rossi, Saddle of Southern Darkness conjure up a grittily enjoyable sound throughout their new self-titled release, which can be streamed in full below.

“Compelled to Dig” is a great example of the project’s excitement; swift acoustics and a jangly lead complement the twangy vocals, reminiscent of Deer Tick’s John McCauley, as a series of impressive guitar plucking and melodic developments guide the track’s fast-moving bliss. Also, certain moments – like the progressions and vocal usage around 02:40 – are fondly reminiscent of Ariel Pink’s early acoustical journeys (“West Coast Calamities”). This track and others on the release show a stylistic confidence that will appeal to mostly any fans of Americana or twangy-infused story-laden goodness.

Mike Mineo

I'm the founder/editor of Obscure Sound, which was formed in 2006. Previously, I wrote for PopMatters and Stylus Magazine.

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3 Comments

  1. Wow! Extremely unique creating their own sound!! Nothing else like it out there.. I just downloaded on cdbaby.com, liked Facebook page, instagram, & hoping they produce more! Would love to see a live show…

  2. Pretty incredible independent album with some outrageous excellent talent with such a different sound along with unbelievable creativity in the writing of these lyrics is genius! I love their distinct voices as well. Nothing else like this. The album has the flexibility to be labeled as evil-country, metal, hillbilly-country, rock, country, blues, etc.

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