Album Review: “Ginger Gold (Farm Singles) by Bones and Jones
Photo by Willem Kingma
The Geelong six-piece have followed up their 2020 record Bees with some delicious boogie blues on their third album, Ginger Gold (Farm Singles). In the midst of the pandemic, Bones and Jones moseyed down to an old apple orchard to rehearse and record their third album (hence the name Farm Singles), and the environment has really carried through into the record. Released via Bonsai Records, Ginger Gold is a collection of genuinely memorable farmhouse rock and roll.
The first two-track the group released in July last year featured “Today” and “It’s Time”, two tracks which tell tales of cautious optimism. “Today” is driven by acoustic guitar, met by a wavering lead that follows Jasper Jolly’s fluting vocals, “The load will get a little lighter/ Even though your fear never subsides.” He does his best Beatles impression on “It’s Time”, which, through Jolly’s mellow tone and the bouncing rhythm of minor chords, captures the pressure that comes with being stuck in a creative rut.
Bones and Jones bring a touch of funk to farmhouse boogie woogie on my personal favourite track, “Reckless”. Lyrically, Finn Chappell takes the reins on this one, writing and performing the vocals that are complemented by infectious ‘wah wah’ guitar and a painfully catchy beat. The barnhouse that hosted the creation of Ginger Gold (Farm Singles), features in the music video that accompanies “Reckless”. A combination of ‘old video recorder’ style footage and professional camerawork capture the group sitting on, or standing around hay bales in a tin shed, lit dimly by spotlights. Chappell takes a drag of his cigarette to signal a tempo change which unleashes a rock and riff that sounds like it's being thrown around by a bull at a rodeo (in the best way possible).
“No More Worries (Oh Yeah)” is a fun and lively number and another highlight track. Jolly described this one as “pretty much a midnight rambler but faster,” which couldn’t really be any more accurate. But of course, they’ve given the world of harmonica led classics the soul-warming Bones and Jones personality to create a short, punchy booty shaker that leaves you feeling the way the title recommends.
“Apples” finishes off the album on a fitting note. It ties lovely, pleading melodies with an ensemble of harmonious guitar parts that build throughout the song and end on around eight seconds that samples a new, confident rhythm that wouldn’t be out of place in a Creedence Clearwater Revival song. The track was written by Jolly, commenting on his change of scenery from city life in Melbourne to the coastal apple orchard the album was recorded on.
You can listen to the entire album on all streaming platforms!
