The Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir have been together for five years now and continue to bash out their mixture of back-of-beyond mountain folk, "gospel for the unbeliever", and delta blues with the ferocity and abandon of punk rockers, which is exactly what their old inspirational predecessors would have been doing, or course. More (urban) hillbillies high on hooch than Soggy Mountain Boys, it's a fine tradition to maintain, and I'm happy to add my bit in support. Hailing from Calgary, Canada, their first release was completely DIY but got them noticed and spots at various roots music festivals followed. Since then they have continued to rustle up a storm with raw mix of slide guitar, banjo, harmonica, stand-up bass, and drums, and Judd Palmers dry guttural vocals crying out for attention - if often straining to reach for real impact.

There's stomping hand-clapping revivalism from the get-go with 'Go Back Home', and a further highlight is 'Life Is Long' - full of nifty acoustic picking over another tub-thumping (literally) beat. There's a welcome Canadian French/Cajun interlude to mix things up a bit, and in case you think that they're just a bunch of Canadian rednecks living in the past, 'You Got It Wrong' is a diatribe against Bush and the US involvement in the Middle East. However, personally a whole album of this very and deliberately authentic sound is a lot to take in one listen without the live buzz. Aside from the real belters it can become repetitive and I have enjoyed it much more mashed up with other selections or periodically to return to after spending time with other very different styles. More power to them and their infectious dedication to the traditions of the music they love. It's just that, as with the blues in general, I love it live but rarely spend time listening to recordings. But, if you have any leanings towards roots music, it might be right up your neck of the ol'woods, or at the very least ripe for cherry picking tracks from your download supplier or choice. 65%Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir on MySpace