Spiders, Nasum, the singer from The Cardigans. And now, Troubled Horse join the muso glitterati of Örebro, Sweden. Two members even hail from fellow Örebro-ites Witchcraft (and bassist Ola still plays for both), but while doom and psych/folk tinges prevail, the perturbed pony is an altogether more garage rock-led beast.
Gratifying kicks are found on southern/bluesy classic rock solo moments peppered across the record. Another Man’s Name is great, channelling a hard-rocking ZZ Top crossbred with Graveyard, recorded in a tin can in Texas.
Moments like these, and the gritty vibe throughout, go some way to compensating for slacker points. Fears, for instance, seems ready to wander off like the distressed nag of its makers’ namesake, until it suddenly perks up with an urgent garage stomp. Some tightening to be done then, but a very attractive prospect worth watching out for.
