Having been dealt blows that would break lesser bands (they state on their Bandcamp page: “…after breakdowns, breakups, fuckups and a death in the family we got up and did a third album”), Melbourne's Sons of Lee Marvin have proven they're worthy of their moniker by standing even taller and releasing their third long-player, Cutthroats & Conjurers. The album kicks off with the dark and threatening Entrennados Por Amor, a nice, if somewhat menacing way to ease into the album, the lyrical content dealing with the hardships they've tackled recently. El Lobo Loco, Kidd Gloves, Stu Manchu and Ted Zeppelin have put together a collection of well-crafted, catchy and damn fine tunes on this record. The energy of their live shows is carried on in the recordings, which is no mean feat.
With a myriad of influences to pull from, it's unsurprising that there's more to SOLM than just hard rockin'. They're not afraid to show their collective sensitive side when needed, and they do it to good effect with No Sad Goodbyes, Now You've Won and Grey Street Bluegrass, although just because these are quieter numbers, don't expect them to be soppy. These three set off the other tracks perfectly and ensure that you, the listener, are left in no doubt that the Sons are not one-trick ponies. Jockey Full Of Damnation sees them take on two covers at once – Tom Waits' Jockey Full Of Bourbon and the Squirrel Nut Zippers' Hell – as the title indicates. In their way, they make this seemingly odd marriage work to the point where, after a while, it seems as though the two songs were made to be mashed together.
The universe may have tried to break SOLM, but with Cutthroats & Conjurers it's the band that are having the last laugh.
