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The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer: Checkered Past Review

Checkered Past is an album that takes its time, and that’s not a bad thing at all. That’s not to say that this release from The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer is a peaceful endeavor. It’s an electrified record that proves to be quite the batch of songs to tangle with.

The two-man-band makes their music on a staple of organic, self-performed ingredients that they cook up themselves. This intimate interplay stems from a recipe of hands-off, honest-to-goodness legitimately live energy. According to the guys, they don’t program or loop their stuff, so everything you hear is astoundingly close to the real Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer live experience. I suppose that hearing them live would still be a uniquely rewarding experience, however. Given that they remain only a two-piece band, it’s sure to be a shocker to see them creating such controlled cacophony on demand.

Checkered Past draws heavily from traditional blues avenues, but there’s some room for progression here as well. For instance, while I was listening I found myself occasionally drawing direct comparisons to the sounds of Black Box Revelation. This is by no means a negative thing. Both bands have a sort of unabashed, in-your-face gumption when it comes to the performance of their music. Checkered Past is a great opportunity to hear The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer relentlessly carve out their own territory in a sea of familiar faces. They prove their point.

The Review: 8/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– Be My Woman
– Get Out
– Can’t Judge a Book
– Too Late Virginia

The Big Hit

– Be My Woman

Review by Tyler Quiring

5 thoughts on “The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer: Checkered Past Review

  • Pingback: The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer Release “Roll With The Punches” Video | Blues Rock Review

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    • Writing can definitely be challenging, especially when you’re trying to put words to something abstract like a musical album. I find that it’s basically impossible to really “clear” one’s head of anything, so I usually end up writing when my head is full of information and thoughts and try to use the writing process to make sense of it all. It certainly does take time, and so I’d recommend setting aside a substantial block of time (hours, if need be). This ensures that as ideas and words begin to flow, they aren’t staunched by the need to go do something else, which can seriously hamper one’s ability to turn out a coherent piece of writing. To start out, I wouldn’t be afraid of wasting time or feeling like you need to know exactly what to say. Just begin thinking about your project, and as things you definitely want to include come to mind, just write them out in list form. As you keep considering your list, it will expand and you’ll fill in blanks. Eventually you’ll be able to see the overall structure and can begin writing prose more linearly. Then all that’s left is filling in the blanks and polishing. This might not work for everyone but that’s basically how my writing process usually goes.

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