Navan's notorious Minty and the Freshmen release their latest long player Time to Burn this month. The title is taken from the song Dig Your Own Hole... "Its your world not mine. its time to burn the ties that bind my hands to your blood , for these stolen goods."
You could say this album is full of unapologetic finger pointing at the modern day masters of war, a puppet government, demonic clergy, our own apathy and cynicism etc. Then again songs like All The Way and Strawhouse are brimming with joy and optimism. Its not so much 'rage against the machine' as 'slowly walk away hand in hand as the machine self implodes'.
The sound is inspired less by rock and roll than the sparse beats of hip hop and the instrumentation of alt country. Banjos and accordians sit comfortably next to samples and synths. On this, their third album, Minty and co have embraced the studio as instrument approach instead of the live band experience of their last offering The Amazing Adventures Of ... with its "ensemble vibe thats never less than a good time" (mongrel magazine). The Freshmen are still dispensing their classy brass and rhythm but in a brand new bag this time round.Album available for download from itunes, eMusic.com , amazon.com etc.
or get your hard copy from Road Records, Fade st., Dublin 2 and e2 music,Navan...
