Back almost exactly a year after the first album, The Magpie Salute offer up the sequel – High Water II – and it’s every bit as exciting as its predecessor. Rich Robinson has recruited a remarkable band (featuring Marc Ford on guitar, Sven Pipien on bass, John Hogg on vocals, Matt Slocum on keys and Joe Magistro on drums), and the chemistry is there for all to see. With a guest spot from Alison Krauss, and a warm sound captured at the legendary Rockfield Studios (Queen, Hawkwind, The Cure), High Water II is a potent continuation of the sound the band introduced with their debut, packed with classics-to-be. It’s one of those albums that just gets under the skin from the get-go and which is only enhanced by repeat listens. Read on and step into High Water II
Opening on a psychedelic note, sooner or later takes late period Beatles, a touch of Zeppelin swagger, throws in just a spoonful of Cream and swirls it all together. It’s a beguiling start, complete with Joe Magistro’s explosive percussion, Matt Slocum’s twinkling piano, the hazy guitar of Rich Robinson and Marc Ford, and it starts off this second album just fine. Next up, the pounding beat of Gimme something hides some serious soul and, with the ivories taking some serious abuse, the band offer up an energetic take on the lascivious rock ‘n’ roll of the Stones in their prime. The pace is upped a notch with the tough-as-nails leave it all behind, another track that tips the nod towards Cream, with Matt’s keys once again bringing out a psychedelic edge even as the rest of the band plough a rockier road. Capturing the same sense of joyful blues that informed the debut album (and the best of the Black Crowes), in here has a woozy beat that belies the electrifying power of the riff and the ecstatic vocal delivery, neatly backed by a horn section, further adds to the sense of warmth the song exudes. In contrast, the languid acoustic blues of you and I is the sound of a sweet summer’s night, whilst its follow up, mother storm, similarly uses the acoustic to give the track a nostalgic edge. With some gorgeously gritty slide in the latter half, mother storm is an album highlight and a perfect example of the band’s ability to evoke different moods and landscapes.
Kicking off the album’s second half, a mirror heads back into classic Stones territory, the Southern grooves enhanced by liquid slide and Matt’s increasingly impressive work behind the keys. Taking a detour into pure country, Lost boy is surprisingly powerful, the worn vocal and pitch-perfect playing of the band recalling latter-day Cash, whilst a guest appearance from Robert Plant collaborator Alison Krauss (who adds vocals and fiddle) perfectly enhances the atmosphere of the piece. Kicking away the melancholy, Turn it around sees Dylan fronting the Spiders from Mars, the thuggish beat nailed by the throbbing bass of Sven Pipien, and the whole band sound like they had a blast tracking this bristling, savagely rock ‘n’ roll stomper. Keeping the pace taught, Turn it around employs a punky psychedelia, once again reaching back to the point where the muscular rock of the seventies’ giants started to respond to the attitude-laden assault of the Sex Pistols and their ilk, the tough rhythm and searing guitar work held barely in check by the melodicism of the vocals and the rippling keys. It’s an album highlight and, arguably, the perfect summation of The Magpie Salute’s appeal. Another track that feels like vintage Crowes, Life is a landslide (one of three tracks written solely by Robinson) sees the guitarist brilliantly inspired by his band, delivering a vibrant vital performance that drips soul in the process. Another album highlight, it has a sparkling energy that is utterly irresistible. If the title of doesn’t really matter implies ennui, the hot-wired riff and tough beat is anything but, the band lighting the touch paper of early Aerosmith R&B, launching themselves at the track with a swagger that suggests this would make a perfect opening track on the live circuit. It all ends with where is the place, the band laying down an end-of-the-night / end-of-the-bottle vibe that suggests the listener will soon be sent back out onto the street, ears ringing and a Jack-Daniels-shaped-hole in their wallet.
High Water I was one of SonicAbuse’s albums of 2018 and with good reason. Never far from the stereo, it managed to perfectly combine nostalgia and irresistible energy, the sense of chemistry in the crack band Robinson recruited clear for all to see. In High Water II, The Magpie Salute have shown that it is possible to bottle lightening form the same source, and that same sense of absolute joy shines through once more. With the band able to synthesise a wide range of influences into a sound that is entirely theirs, The magpie Salute tackle blues, rock, funk and soul with all the enthusiasm of apparent youth and the album flies by. Another contender for album of the year lists, High Water II is another belter of an album and an essential purchase. 9
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