Two Gallants - Two Gallant (2007)

As part of a pair of releases in 2007, the self-titled Two Gallants follows The Scenery of Farewell EP and marks the duo's third full-length. Well known for their impassioned live sets and lengthy tour schedules, the recording may be the best translation of the duo's distinctive alchemy yet. Recorded at San Francisco's legendary Hyde Street studio and produced by Alex Newport, Two Gallants builds on the foundation laid by 2004's The Throes and 2006's What the Toll Tells. Adam's raw melodies and razor sharp vocals deliver haunting, dirgy poetics amidst Tyson's synergistic drumming style and striking harmonies, further defining Two Gallants' sound.


It was only a matter of time before San Francisco natives Adam Stephens (vocals, harmonica, guitar) and Tyson Vogel (drums, vocals) cemented a top-tier spot in the pantheon of Americana. With their fittingly eponymous record, they've at last fully realized the potential hinted strongly at in The Throes, What the Toll Tells, and The Scenery of Farewell EP. If these past records frequently evoke the dusty traditions of folk and punk--train-riding hobos, carefree wanderlust, buried and violent secrets--Two Gallants only hones this focus. True, the album regularly relapses into a similarity of key, tempo, rhythm, and interval: "Miss Meri," "The Hand that Held You Down," "Trembling of the Rose," and "Reflections of a Marionette," for example, play like an extended medley of variations on a single musical theme. But songs like "The Deader" and the rough, almost impressionistic "My Baby's Gone" exude singularly grabbing charisma. Stephens' every next vocal melody grittily evokes lament after tragic lament, and Vogel's drumming bursts forth in burp-gun flurries, very nearly melodic in its driven acrobatics. In all, Two Gallants' indelible storytelling marks one the year's most unapologetically traditional--and ultimately unforgettable--albums. --Jason Kirk