On their latest album, O’Death does a commendable job of combining freak-folk with bluegrass and wrapping it all up in a punk attitude. Though the songs they write are consistently well composed and performed, enjoyment of the band will depend on whether or not you’re looking for a band capable of taking itself seriously – because O’Death aren’t really about that. However, that does not stop them from turning out a solid and eclectic album that is consistently enjoyable. 
The heart of O’Death’s sound may be some weird mutation of bluegrass, but the band also displays a debt to bands as far ranging from the genre as The Pixies and The Smiths. This is particularly reflected in the Frank Black/Isaac Brock-esque dynamics of Greg Jamie’s vocals throughout the album and his Johnny Marr-on-speed-like guitar playing in songs like “A Light That Does Not Dim†(a title curiously similar to The Smiths’ “There Is A Light That Never Goes Outâ€). Considering that Johnny Marr is now a member of Modest Mouse, by combining the traits of the aforementioned, O’Death are kind of like an alternate-universe version of Modest Mouse where they’re the house band of a southern bar on Halloween. Also, the band has had a couple drinks, and is really going at it.
Of course though, O’Death is better than the average bar band (not much of an accomplishment really, but an accomplishment none the less). Namely because they’ve got a handful of really great songs like the manic “Vacant Moanâ€, the supercharged and strangely heart-warming “Crawl Through Snowâ€, and the beautiful “Angelineâ€.
While Broken Limbs, Hymns and Skin is definitely not for everyone (me=everyone, in this case), it is by no means a bad album. As one of the philosophers I recently studied would have syllogized it:
A: Broken Limbs, Hymns and Skin is not a “bad†album
B: Any album that is not a “bad†album must contain enough goodness to be considered a “good†album to some degree.
Therefore…
C: Broken Limbs, Hymns and Skin should be considered a “good†album
Tracklisting:
01. Low Tide
02. Fire on Peshtigo
03. Legs to Sin
04. Mountain Shifts
05. Vacant Moan
06. A Light That Does Not Dim
07. Grey Sun
08. Home
09. Leininger
10. Crawl Through Snow
11. Ratscars
12. On an Aching Sea
13. Angeline
14. Lean-To
Written by: Marc Z. Grub
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