Mean Bone by Buzzard deals with a lot of dark and heavy subjects. Such as murder. And child murder. And the murder of orphans through neglect.
Okay, I might be being a little facetious here – though it does deal with those three subjects across three seperate tracks – as Mean Bone is a study of the state of the human race. This means that it isn’t an easy listen by any means, as Christopher Thomas Elliott – the genius behind Buzzard – turns a mirror on every aspect of humanity and I can guarantee that there will be at least a tiny part reflected back at you that makes you shudder at your own reflection.
As I said, Mean Bone isn’t an easy listen. It is, however, a fucking brilliant one.
Ever since I first stumbled across Christopher Thomas Elliott I have been singing his praises to anyone who is willing to listen, and I don’t just mean on here. Hell, I don’t care if their willing or not, I have bombarded my friends everytime he has released anything, either under his Buzzard guise or his Satiricus Doomicus Americus one, ranting and raving like a lunatic in a padded cell about how I consider him not just one of the best songwriters of this generation, but as one of the best lyricists as well, and both of these aspects are on full show across the 13 tracks of Mean Bone.
Musically at home with haunting, twisted murder ballads as he is with foot stomping, heavy as a lead overcoat hard as fuck folk, Mean Bone is the perfect companion for for these dark and twisted times. Lyrically he takes aim at everything from religion to politics to the depravity that lurks within every single one of us and not once does he miss.
I love the way the he twists Dylan’s word refrain from Maggie’s Farm on Dunwich Farm. I admire how he takes the complexity of a toxic relationship with Twisted Love and comes to the correct conclusion that none of it matters in the long run. And Ghost Of Orphan James is a brilliant story of a neglectful manager causing the untimely deaths of his charges, but don’t worry, the dead never rest…
But for me, the stand out track on Mean Bone is Murder in The White Barn. It is here where Christopher Thomas Elliott shows off the perfect song. It is five minutes that plays as a movie in your head, with a protaginist that is so fleshed out and so damn evil that he automatically joins the ranks of the greatest villains ever, fictional or real. All of this story is played out to a wonderful soundtrack that is disarmingly gentle, but at the same time as raw and brutal as its subject matter.
Mean Bone by Buzzard is a fabulous record. There isn’t a single moment that doesn’t drag you in and keep you enthralled from the word go, and in a world that has gone mad we need the voice of Christopher Thomas Elliott and Buzzard to remind us that it’s okay to be insane.
RATING: 5 OUT OF 5
RATING SYSTEM:
- 0 – 1 Fucking shit.
- 1 – 2 Shit.
- 2 – 3 Not Bad Shit.
- 3 – 4 Pretty Good Shit.
- 4 – 5 Amazing Fucking Shit.
- 5 The Best Shit You Will Ever Hear.
Head on over to the Buzzard Bandcamp page and pre-order Mean Bone for yourself.
