Description

Drop a needle on Dan Melchior s The Loud Version and the blown-out, sturm and drang of distortion and noise shrouding Hungry Ghost pours gasoline on a collection of his greatest hits and sets them ablaze. Hungry Ghost hits like a hammer, opening up the record and laying out the blueprint for this spontaneous collection of Melchior s near-masterpieces rendered with fiery and ramshackle glory. Primeval cover versions of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers I m Your Witchdoctor and Mike Furber and the Bowery Boys I m Just a Poor Boy roll out of his guitar like snarling stray dogs looking for a leg to bite. Melchior s baritone growl captures the garage-swamp tension of a late-night bar scene where camaraderie can and will turn into chaos without warning. It s an element of Melchior s rock n roll songwriting that s often tamed by production. Here, songs such as Outskirts, Mockingbird, and Monkey howl without restraint. Melchior is unquestionably a full-album artist. Each of his releases channel a specific mood – ranging from ambient to ecstatic – as each offering is an individual work. As the story goes, Loud Version was recorded as a batch of demos that were meant to presage an Australian tour, and the compilation of songs unfolds like a perfect set list filled with teeth-gnashing unhinged anthems. Dedicated followers of Melchior s releases will find this to be a Dedicated followers of Melchior s releases will find this to be a visceral and raw yet secretly vital run through his most compulsory songwriting; rendered ideally here for both curious onlookers and for casual listeners looking to set their heads on fire

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