“Relevancy” may not be the first word to spring to mind when listening to The Builders and the Butchers’ latest, Dead Reckoning. That is, unless you’re a weathered seaman, a 1920’s industrial worker, or a filthy orphan abandoned in a desolate mining town. It’s desperate and despairing, but it utilizes the grit and gristle of dark old America to reframe more modern woes, and its exaltation of a steady hand in unsteady times is not only relevant, but timeless.
The tunes are damn good, to boot. Ryan Sollee wails like an apocalyptic, alcoholic prosthelytizer beset with woman troubles—stylistically and thematically—and the more sparse accompaniments of the album sets him off nicely. The subject matter may be macabre, but blood, drugs and death make fine fodder for knee-slappin’ bone-rattlin’ ditties like “Lullaby,” the funereal laments of “All Away,” and the sly, sinner’s appeal, “Family Tree.” Obviously, it’s fine drinking music, so slop some fresh corn whisky into your cleanest mug and feel all your troubles gain the weighty significance of historical parallels. Or dance around like a boneless lunatic, which has been my go-to each and every listen. – Jenn Fritschy