THIRTY POUNDS OF BONE
Thirty Pounds of Bone is the solo alt-folk project of Johny Lamb. His most recent album 'Method' was released last December on Armellodie Records to much critical praise, being announced album of the year (2010) in both The Spill and Scotland's Elba Sessions as well as being release of the week in Scotland on Sunday and gaining four stars in Mojo. Johny currently lives in West Cornwall researching folksong at University College Falmouth, where he can occasionally be found lecturing in Popular Music.
Press for 'Method'
'Exquisite index of gin-soaked desolation Lamb sings like a man unable to see beyond keeping a stiff upper lip to the end of the song. Even if he manages it, you might not.' Mojo (4 stars)
'Ten stunning songs, in less than 40 minutes. it's a treasure chest of sad beauty, taken under as the ship sank, miles from home and very alone. Alone but for the sailors' grogg.' The Spill. (Album of the year 2010).
'Radical and refreshing. Rarely have brass, banjo and electric guitars combined to such stirring effect.' Scotland on Sunday (Release of the Week).
'An Album of raw beauty' The Daily Record.
'The Flying Dutchman reborn as the bastard child of Edison, Russolo and Deleuze. With more wit and more soul than a thousand paper cowboys and cereal box balladeers. Don't be fooled by its swagger, these songs still need - and fully deserve - your deepest affections.' Little Other.
'A marvellous and passionate LP full of character and commitment It's tough, and straight and honest, and a joy to listen to.' Incendiary Magazine.
'It is never less than a fascinating and scintillating listen. the traditional arrangements and instruments give way for raw distortion and jagged feedback recalling Blur's Graham Coxon at his most destructive.' Unplug the Jukebox.
'There may be many reasons to claim that Lamb doesn't stick to certain folk traditions because it's true. But after one listen to his music, his love and passion for all things folk is instantly obvious. His alternative methods (such as hazy synths and, of course, his love of distortion) are in fact really refreshing and the fact that he is his own man makes his music all the more honest and sincere. He has definitely brought something new and interesting to the underground folk scene.' Is This Music?
'Throughly modern production values, a sly hipness, and, quite simply, great songs make this an album with a reach far beyond the folk market.' Grounds for Appeal.
'Method veers from the odd to the conventional, from the sparse to the rackety, and I still haven't entirely figured out what to make of it. I know I like it though.' Song By Toad.
'This is a beguiling, contradictory mixture where folk traditions and more contemporary tales of destitution sit side by side if you enjoy a bit of good old fashioned melancholy then it's ultimately very rewarding indeed.' Vanguard.
'such a demeanour can add something heavy and honest to the heart of a musician, weighing down their words with a distinct emotional tang that resonates with that little empathic part of the listener.' The 405 8/10.
here's what some people wrote on bits of paper after they heard the first album.
"Occupying its own trans-century time-period and impressively at odds with the rest of the record buying world yet all the more timeless because of it.
'Beer is for your daytime and the whiskey's for your bed.'
So wonderully, wonderfully homesick. And true." CRUD Magazine 5/5
"There is much to savour on this accomplished collection of plaintive laments, of which the title track and drone like uyeasound are exceptional." Q Magazine.
"With its tattoo-style artwork depicting a storm-tossed sea, and snapshots of the band in archaic suits clutching pints of Guinness, it's clear that this album isn't going to fit the clichés of many of the recent 'weird folk' trends." WORD magazine.
"Essentially, folk music should be heartfelt, honest and an expression of your roots, and Thirty Pounds Of Bone deliver with this wonderful record." NEWNOISE.NET
"Thirty Pounds of Bone like to dwell on shit. Heavy shit. The songs interlink via juxtapositions that create a wonderfully morbid and
equally petrifying narrative." PLAN B Magazine
"If the lyrics, "My matches wouldn't let me down again," weren't enough to make you think Lamb should be locked up, the military drum line shielding wailing screams in the background should have you scrambling for the Crimewatch phone number." GIGWIZE.COM
"Thirty Pounds of Bone is one man johny lamb — standard bearer for all things lo-fi in this shiny, chrome-plated 21st century." FLAVOURPILL
"Launching a new folk band can't be too easy, but when their album is as bold and innovative as Thirty Pounds of Bone's is, Folk aficionados should take notice. Proudly different, it has the side-ranging ambition and talent to appeal far more than only folk fans alone." 4/5 - RECORD COLLECTOR Magazine
the debut album "THE HOMESICK CHILDREN OF MIGRANT MOTHERS" is out now across the UK, and online. Drift Records
