Reviews

Artist: Thump Country
DVD: Outside
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 6
Rating: ***
Contact: stevetots@talk21.com

Outside is a DVD from Thump Country, brothers Steve and Jim Tothill. It's a concept album in it's purest form.
Jim and Steve are obviously very proud of their home county of Cornwall. The idea is a simple one, write six tracks about the county and then go out and record it live in the locations that inspired it.
This is the keep it simple stupid concept drawn down to a fine art. And like most really simple ideas it works really well. The instrumentation follows the same principle, just a voice accompanied by a lap steel guitar.
The result is an album that is strangely compelling. The images that accompany the song also look simple at first glance. There's an endearing home spun feel, I'd guess this was shot on hand helds, but some of the effects give lie to that. Even if the final result is simplistic to the eye.
What about the music it's self? Well, it's more inspired by the Cornwall I know, stone circles, mine workings, wild woods, than it is about the Cornwall of VW Campers and Surfbums.
The two songs that I really liked were 'Stand On Grantite' and 'Billy No More'. Both were inspired by Bodmin. The latter having the potential to become the Cornish 'Irish Rover'. It's a great song delivered as a duo, but you can also imagine it being delivered by a full band.
It's elequently delivered, Steve has a fine voice, with sublime support on the lap guitar from brother Jim. It's totally stripped back but very well delivered. The songs are as atmospheric and evocative as the places that inspired them.Personal favorite
There are a couple of minor niggles. If I want to hear the tracks away from my TV or computer, it's hassle. It might have been useful to have included an MP3 directory on the disk. That said it might have been designed that way so you couldn't hear the songs out of context.
The other niggle is there doesn't appear to be a clean exit from the disk so everytime I put it back in my player asks me if I want to resume from where I left it.
Those two things aside I've been impressed by the sights and sounds of this concept album, it's well thought trough and delivered.
Thump Country are already working on their next concept, Inside, a DVD recorded inside and beneath buildings that inspired them. In fact I've already seen an early cut from that album, "Water", which will also be included on a compilation album of Cornish Artists.