It probably shouldn't be surprising that an artist going by the name
the Balky Mule makes music that sounds as, well, balky as
The Length of the Rail, but it certainly is refreshing. Too many "folktronica" artists polish over the quirks that make folk music and electronic music unique, somehow making it into something smoother and blander than either style on its own. That certainly can't be said of
Sam Jones, who fashions
the Balky Mule's music out of nothing but perfectly imperfect acoustics and electronics.
Jones made his second album,
The Length of the Rail, with old, often malfunctioning drum machines and keyboards, found sounds, and the odd electric and acoustic strumming here and there. Though his music nods slightly to some of the bands he played with previously, such as
Crescent and
Movietone, his wry warble of a voice puts him in the company of fellow genteel British eccentrics
Robert Wyatt and
Ray Davies, while the cheery disorder surrounding him echoes
Pram and
Th' Faith Healers' quieter moments.
The Length of the Rail rambles and shambles, and often seems held together only by the charm of its songs and sounds: "Dust Bird Baths" begins the album with chirping and fluttering birds, croaking synth bass, and buzzing percussion that sounds like flicking the tab on a can of soda pop. Ramshackle rhythms dominate
The Length of the Rail, giving the impression that
Jones tapped out these amiably click-clacking and clip-clopping beats on whatever was in front of him at the moment. "Before Too Long"'s synth whistles like a robot teakettle, the title track's sparkling electronics and tiptoeing bass are a dead ringer for
Raymond Scott's
Soothing Sounds for Baby, and "Chalk"'s lyrics "The overlapping/The intersecting/The colors clash/It's all right" sum up
the Balky Mule's aesthetic perfectly.