The backstory on
the County Liners is not promising -- two hipster musicians from Olympia, Washington decide to write some country songs while one is stuck in bed with a bum ankle. But if history teaches us anything, it's that you can never tell where a batch of good tunes is going to come from, and Mary Jane Dunphe and Chris McDonnell clearly know how to put together a song on the basis of their debut EP. Mary Jane Dunphe & Chris McDonnell in the County Liners sounds just the right amount of ragged, the rough and ready sound of two urban Appalachians fighting their way through a hangover with the help of some cheap guitars and a drum kit. The country influences are often more felt than heard here, but these tales of life and love on the wrong side of the tracks bear the ring of truth, and like the
Fear and Whiskey-era
Mekons, this band weds a scrappy rural undertow to a big city outlook in a way that makes the most of both sides. The slow crawl of "The County Line," the bluesy plea of "Walkin' Out," and the wiry snap of "Love Letter" show Dunphe and McDonnell are as capable with melodies as they are with lyrics; these tunes may not be complicated, but they set a mood and make it stick, and with some help from Riley Kendig and Mirce Popovic, they're a fierce little band who can give the material just the right amount of low-tech glory. (And their cover of
Lucinda Williams' "Maria" reveals they know how to put their stamp on other folks work as well.) At a mere five tunes, Mary Jane Dunphe & Chris McDonnell in the County Liners offers just a taste of what these folks can do, but it's satisfying enough that a full-length effort from this band can't come soon enough. ~ Mark Deming