This four-piece alt folk group was originally a solo venture by James Hunter, but he brought in others to work with him, and The Gatherers are now Taylar Mallo (bass), Jacob Gates (lead guitar) and Emerson McCullough (drums.) They say they are influenced by the likes of Jeff Buckley, Sufjan Stevens and Bon Iver, but there is also a major influence which is somewhat out of left field, as whether they have recognised it or not, Justin Hawkins of British rockers The Darkness has had an impact. When they released Permission to Land back in 2003, everyone was blown away by the use of falsetto and the very high notes indeed which Hawkins was hitting, and the same is true here of Hunter. His style is cleaner and more direct than Buckley, getting to the point in less of a roundabout manner.
The song commences in a straight folk manner with gentle acoustic and vocals with gentle drums in the background, but we soon have electric guitars and a manner which is more Eels than Woody Guthrie, with those vocals rising to a scream, and then we back to folk. Is this a rock group with folk elements, or the other way around? Who cares? This is a fascinating introduction to the band and their music, and I look forward to hearing more.
Rating: 8/10
