Trampled By Turtles, Palomino
Featured Album
A rapid-fire fiddle competition with occasional room to breathe
After four releases on their own label, Banjodad, the Duluth, Minnesota, quintet Trampled By Turtles signed with Thirty Tigers/RED for their latest effort Palomino, a 12-track set of folky bluegrass gems based largely on rapid-fire fiddle and mandolin runs that seem to be in a constant competition of which can move the fastest. While other recent bands of the same ilk seem to focus on the vocals, TxT are more concerned with starting a hoedown, which they do successfully in nearly every track. That's not to say vocals aren't important here: Palomino is ripe with smooth harmonies on "Bloodshot Eyes" and "Wait So Long," but the record ultimately rests on frontman Dave Simonett's fervent twang. But amid the chaos, instrumentals like "New Son/Burnt Iron" and "Sounds Like A Movie" — or at least portions of them — give the group some room to breathe.
