Two Gallants - The Bloom And The Blight
Two Gallants
The Bloom And The Blight
This review originally ran in AP 291.
While Two Gallants never officially disbanded, the duo of Adam Stephens and Tyson Vogel spent much of the time following 2007’s self-titled release in a state of prolonged inactivity, at least with each other. (Both members released solo albums in 2010.) But absence makes the heart go fonder and the songs get better, as The Bloom And The Blight is the pair’s most concise and best work to date. Gone are the meandering eight-minute jams; in their places are tight blues-punk songs (“Halycon Days”) mixed with gorgeous folk ballads (“Broken Eyes”) that feel like what would happen if Manchester Orchestra covered an early Black Keys record. “My Love Won’t Wait” stomps through its verses like a four-year-old throwing a chocolate-deprived tantrum at a supermarket checkout before exploding into a gritty, nasal chorus Andy Hull would be jealous of. And that’s just one song! In short: This shit rules.
