If you like music that feels more about tantalizing textures than obvious grooves, more as if it has been fashioned rather than merely written, that reveals more and more sonic secrets every time you give it a spin, then “The Losing Game” is for you.
The fantastically named Steve Puddle and his Bivouac Band is one of those bands that might not be traditionally folk, at least not here, but they do point towards new potential paths for folk to take to keep it relevant and moving with the times.
Taking the theme of teenage angst and alienation, Steve argues that those feelings were not as misplaced as we thought and that they are merely the opening act to a life fraught with such frustrations, at least for some of us, and probably for more than you think.
Rising from minimal acoustic spirals and cascading riffs, he quickly envelops the song in all manner of subtle, supple, and sensational sonics. Hammond organs swell, and swoop, percussion crashes and washes, guitars growl, and beats remain sparse yet power the song onwards, increasing in sonic weight and musical anticipation as it moves forward.
This is the sound of an older, wiser person still manning the barricades, the nature of which may have changed over the years, but that fist in the air is as defiant as ever. Steve Puddle and his Bivouac Band are not playing your games; they have their own set of rules to live by, and many of you probably would never understand anyway!
I do; I get where he’s coming from, and if you do too, we should all go for a pint sometime! That’s the sort of quiet revolution I can get on board with.
