The Randy Bandits' Golden Arrow

The Randy Bandits aren't a roving band of crazy Scotsman singing raunchy songs and limericks. Oh no, they're nothing quite that windswept or exotic, but the Bandits do hail from that super trendy music spot known as Brooklyn, New York and sound nothing like the usual bands from that city.

Confused by all this geography? Don't worry about it because really all that you need to know is that the Randy Bandits and their new album, Golden Arrow, sound like an amalgamation of large doses of Americana mixed with a dose of California, and a sprinkling of blues and soul. It's a mixture of ingredients that leads to songs that sound soulful, countrified, dusty, and dear. Their album, Golden Arrow, is filled with violins, steel guitars, Hammond B3's (or organ in any case), and twangy vocals leaving a record that sounds more like it came from Memphis than the state of New York.

Golden Arrow at it's best is a countrified trip from the East Coast to the West Coast through the Deep South, the plains and prairies. It's a pastoral record that yearns for the simple life without a broken heart and it's songs are a constant reflection of this. From the banjo and countrified harmonies of, "Western Winds." to the bluesy Memphis horns of, "Loraine," Golden Arrow is the best soulful country record to ever come out of the northeast.

The Randy Bandits might not be British and bawdry or New Yorkers and hip, but they are good at what they do. And what they do is write songs that sound like they've come from another time and place. It's because of that separation of time and era that Golden Arrow is such a charming bluesy folksy little rock and roll record. They don't make many records like this anymore and they certainly don't make many in Brooklyn!