TEDDY HORSE

TEDDY HORSE     “BadgersWex”

By Dr. Abner Mality

The mystery man of the Arkansas hills returns with more ghostly minimalism, but this time, instead of plaintive acoustic tones, the electric heaviness of doom metal comes to the fore and results in something with a lot more weight to it.

This incredibly prolific act, joined at the hip with equally mysterious COUNT BEETLE, is very much an outlier in the world of modern music, dedicated to the sound and feel of earlier times. It becomes apparent with first track “Lord Wexer” that this is a heavier beast. A looped doom metal riff drenched in rustic flavor repeats as the dour bass vocals of TEDDY echo hollowly, sounding like a spirit from another age. This is the basic pattern of the album, as all 8 tracks are based around repetitious riffs in the style of PAGAN ALTAR-meets-JETHRO TULL and the hollow intonations of Mr. HORSE. Drums and bass are not to be heard and sometimes the repetition gets a bit monotonous even for fans of the style. But careful listening reveals little additions, such as the somber piano of “Where Winds Whirl In Spire” and tinkling bells that are sprinkled throughout the set.

It really sounds like a field recording of a haunted monastery somewhere in the Northumbrian vales, a creature of mood. A simple listen in some ways, not so simple in others. I find the heavier approach to be a big improvement and “BadgersWex” to be the best I have heard from this musical outsider.

TEDDY HORSE