Formerly
Scott B. Sympathy, and still led by one Mr. Scott B., Toronto's
the Sympathy crafted a quiet, unassuming minor classic in
Long Way Down. The title track fuzzes up guitars for a slow-burn, seven-minute,
Crazy Horse-inflected spiral to the gutter (the debut
Scott B. Sympathy album was, after all, titled Neil Younge Street); "Guardian Angel" oversees a wrestling match between barrelhouse piano and overdrive mutant blues guitar; "Bask in the Glory" juggles acoustic and electric layers over a near-perfect three-minute slice of folk-rock. And so it goes -- "I'm Just Dreaming" and "Don't Wait for Me" revisit the elegant touch of "Aquamarine Blue" while "Distress" and "Purple Joe" wind up the tension to
Junkhouse/
Horse levels of audio paranoia. Nothing earth shattering or revolutionary, just a dozen hits of tasty, earthy, roots & roll from an honest band with subtle melodic flair.