Two Gallants- What the Toll Tells

Genre rock Publisher Saddle Creek External Links Official Website Saddle Creek

All I wanted to do was say hello...maybe say, "I got you a shot at the bar." The venue that the Two Gallants played last year was a fairly prominent all-ages affair, offering no bar. It was decided that a little bit of the pre-show intake was to happen. It turned into something like fifteen people posted up in the back alley getting lit (there were a few cases of dark and heavy winter beers open). Just as Aqualung finished up their set we all made it back into the venue. Two Gallants played an awesome set of their Americana-tinged, highly lyrical folk rock including harp playing and lyrics about Jesus stealing another man's woman. As I stood in the hall talking to a friend, along came the singer/guitarist of the duo, Adam Stephens. I made a very, very drunk ass of myself with a bevy of questions and compliments. The last question that I asked before I realized my folly was this: "So when are you going to put out new material, that song with whistling was fucking rad." The response given was incredibly vague. The reason was that Two Gallants were in negotiations to switch from Alive records to Saddle Creek. The product of this switch is the album entitled, What the Toll Tells, and it slays.

Wind being blown over a microphone opens the first half-minute of the album, leading into the song with whistling, "Las Cruces Jail." Almost Ennio Morricone-ish, the song's sparse whistled intro and solemn guitar plucking builds. As passionately howled lyrics burst, the drums start pounding (drummer Tyson Vogel is the other half of Two Gallants) in a tight pocket to follow the strummed chords. The narrative talks of jail time, running, women, and two silhouettes against the sky as the whistling and wind closes. The album quickly shows the other half of the band. A slow song named, "Steady Rollin'," has clean arpeggios, a subtle drum line, and a fine explanation of a man moving on, telling a loved one why and that he'll be wherever he needs to be for her.

Between these two polls lies the distinct sound of the Two Gallants. This album progresses with more vivid tales, more songs are played with punk-rock energy, twangy as they may be. This is what Neil Young's Dead Man soundtrack would have sounded like if played by two guys from San Francisco with more high-minded lyricism. Often shifting into relaxed and breezy bridges to verses that pulse with distorted chord changes, the song structures always keep the listeners interest.

Whether on this or their previous album, Two Gallants are all about ole-timey expressions, talk of train rides, nomadic life, and beautiful love, offering a nostalgic feeling that is neither stressed nor forced. Two Gallants have been living this lifestyle, albeit without the use of boxcars, for quite a while now and know it inside out.