Andrea & Mud
Institutionalized
Self-Release
Imagine The Ghost of Johnny Cash Fronting The Mavericks With Duane Eddy and Ashley McBryde as the Bar Band in a Tarantino re-make of The Wild Bunch.
I’d never heard of Andrea & Mud aka Andrea Colburn and Kyle “Mud” Moseley; before receiving this; which appears to be their third LP, but their name and the frankly disturbing cover artwork, caught my attention, then when I played it for the first time, their combined voices and amazing style of playing knocked me six ways sideways!
Like so many other albums being released these days; these songs came together during the Lockdown era when Andrea & Mud were holed up in a barn listening to a mix tape of Psycho Country.
If you’ve not heard of them either; imaging the ghost of Johnny Cash fronting The Mavericks featuring Duane Eddy and alongside Ashley McBryde as the bar band in a Quentin Tarantino re-make of Roadhouse or The Wild Bunch.
The title track and heartfelt love song, Institutionalized comes straight out of the traps like a cougar on steroids (either type of cougar!) with Mosely’s baritone voice punching you straight in the solar plexus and it’s only Andrea’s sweet harmonies that keep you breathing.
“I may have lost my marbles
My screws are loose
The pain inside I can no longer hide
From the things you’ve done to me
I’m Institutionalized
Won’t you set me free.”
Which certainly sets the tone for what follows, not least one of my favourite ever songs being Elvis Costello’s version of Psycho and don’t Cha just know it, but Andrea & Mud put their own distinct spin on that very song; making it even more Gothic, as each take a verse making a cold shiver go down your spine. Earlier the duo include the dark and brooding Country Noir of the Judds’ Mama He’s Crazy which is in exactly the same vein, but entirely different.
It’s been a while since I heard old school, funky ass Country Music like this and my world has become a lot better with the inclusion of Bankman, Hard Life and the epic and spooky 9 minutes of Just Dropped In to my own personal soundtrack to 2024.
The first few times you play this album you will get totally immersed in the claustrophobic fog that the production creates; but scratch the surface and you’ll find that the duo can not just select a great song to re-arrange; but ‘keepers’ that they wrote themselves; with This Time and/or the potent Welcome To Blue Skies are right up there with Neko Case or the Handsome Family at their most intense and articulate.
In my defence I realise that INSTITUTIONALIZED is ‘niche’ …. or at least I think that’s what Mrs Magpie called it through pursed lips – but I likes it a whole lot, not least the Honky Tonky toe-tapper Trouble’s Gone with its rat-a-tat beat and sizzling fiddle accompanying Andrea who channels hers inner Kitty Wells and Loretta Lynn too.
There are surprises in every groove here; not least Andrea Coburn’s sexy take on Bankman which has a great ‘back story’ in the liner notes btw.
Where to go for a single Favourite Song has been a challenge tonight; Psycho is an obvious choice; but “Mud” Moseley’s sparky and sparkling Committed To Parkview certainly has its merits too; and might just be the best song Johnny Cash ever recorded, but you’ve never heard until now!
With all of that in mind, I’m going for Kitchen Floor, where Andrea sounds like the Amy Winehouse singing Jeanie C Riley singing a Stax or Atlantic b-side on a jukebox,
“I ripped open my heart
Laid it on the concrete just for you
Found out the whole time
You were sad too.”
You have to hear it to understand … but trust me, it’s a stone cold killer.
Personally I might play this at a BBQ this summer, just to watch their faces when the penny drops as to what they’re hearing; but this will be best savoured among like minded people crowded together on a car journey or via ear pods on public transport.
Released 19th April 2024
https://andreaandmud.com/
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https://andreaandmud.com/merch/institutionalized-on-vinyl
https://andreaandmud.bandcamp.com/music
The Rocking Magpie 