Aptly named after the secret society in David Lynch’s surreal small-town noir Twin Peaks, The Bookhouse Boys’ second album takes the Americana Gothic blueprint from their eponymous debut and dramatically amps up both tension and heaviness
To borrow a quote from the beloved Ann Widdecombe ‘‘there is something of the night’’ about these mini-melodramas and murderous torch songs.
Paul Van Oestren’s voice (beautifully complimented by Catherine Turner’s haunting counterpoint) possesses a richly nuanced authority: at times channelling Nick Cave, at others Richard Hawley.
Languid Link Wray-esque surf guitar sprawls across Morricone and Mariachi infused Tarantino soundtracks all fortified by a powerful eight-piece band coming on like a pissed off Arcade Fire discovering heavy metal.
Impressive stuff.