Mike Tod is a cup of strong coffee. This short prosaic record was recorded live at Reuben Bullock‘s house by the prolific Scott Munro. Mike Tod & The Buffalo Lake Kid apply such a delightful variety of instrumentation, some of it hand made, some of it recklessly out of tune, all of it immersed in the romance of a bygone era of songwriting. Mike Tod’s wavering vocals stray, crack and quiver with impunity, lending each song a welcome honesty. What’s more, the selection of songs is distilled to an unbearable brevity, provoking the listener to replay this record again and again. I’ve asked Mike Tod to come play The Elevation Room on August 18th so keep your eyes peeled for that!
One post script: Until the vocals on ‘Goldmine’ come in, you could swear it was a cover of Bob Wiseman’s ‘Uranium‘.
