The Shouting Matches | Grownass Man
This album was a bit of slow burn for me, I picked it up, listened to some of the tracks and never really came back to it. Then ‘Heaven Knows’ came up on shuffle one day while I was walking through town. The song is filthy, it’s got some electric slide that’s straight from the delta and harmonica that sounds like a screaming demon. My initial reaction was “Holy shit, who is this and how has this song slipped under my radar!” I was sure it must be an old bluesman like Seasick Steve or maybe Alvin Youngblood Hart but it didn’t sound quite like either. Low and behold it was The Shouting Matches. So I went back, listened to the whole album again and was really impressed. It’s dirty, bluesy and just generally rocks.
I initially bought this record mainly because the band consists of Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) and his former band mate; Phil Cook (Megafaun). Bon Iver and especially Megafaun are bands that I enjoy so I figured Grownass Man would at the very least be an interesting listen. A lot of times these types of collaborations end up resulting in something that sounds like two bands smashed together. Now don’t get me wrong that can be pretty awesome (Mad Season, Temple of the Dog, CSNY), but The Shouting Matches are a whole different entity with a sound that stands on it’s own. What I’m saying is if Bon Iver or Megafaun for that matter, just don’t do it for you, don’t write off The Shouting Matches without giving them a listen.
Here’s my favorite tracks:
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