Some Strange CountrySignature Sounds ****

In theory this acoustic five-piece (Americans with strong Irish links) is a bluegrass band who stretch into other genres. But over the course of four albums they have developed into something that probably surprises even themselves: a genre-hopping, mind-expanding explosion of fearless dexterity. The instrumental array (cello, double bass, banjo and fiddle, plus Aoife O'Donovan's cool, haunting voice) creates a unique dynamic. There is a lot of fevered counterplay and interplay, as on the exceptional Locusts in the Window, where Gregory Liszt's banjo and Brittany Haas's five-string fiddle seem to be duelling. O'Donovan's almost detached voice hovers above the instrumental maelstrom. She also contributes a couple of songs, notably You Were Gone, that sit well beside the traditional material and the token oddball of a Stones' cover, You Got the Silver. See crooked still.com

Download tracks:Locusts in the Window, The Golden Vanity, You Were Gone