Aural Fixations

THE GOURDS
Heavy Ornamentals
(Eleven Thirty)
Heavy Ornamentals is an awesome record. By my count, and a few others, this may be the most complete Gourds record to date, blending blues, country and Americana with an eclectic sense of humor that will knock you on your ass. There is also a kick-ass zydeco flavor, something I'm usually not all that into but I like it here. It's hard to know how seriously to take a band like this. Heavy Ornamentals feels like a jam session, but often these types of groups don't deliver live. But on the strength of this record, I'd be willing to bet these boys put on a heck of a show. "Burn the Honeysuckle" raises the bar for alt.country/bluegrass fundamentalists. "New Roommate" changes pace musically, but further exposes the band's sense of humor with lyrics like "Always late on rent/Couldn't buy a bag of farts." The rest of the songs are playful and singer Kevin Russell clearly enjoys himself. The Gourds are everything people expect from an Austin band and this record is completely contagious. Zydeco honky-tonk never sounded so good. Lance Looper [buy it]