Have Gun, Will Travel – Postcards From The Friendly City (Self-released, 2009 or 2010)
If you are a bit unsure whether you want to enter as deep to the country territory as I have, I can recommend Postcards From The Friendly City as a good stepping stone where you can sit back and decide whether you are ready for more. It’s not a stepping stone that you can quickly pass through. It’s way too beautifully crafted for that and it also has a lot of stories to tell. The reason why it’s a good place to wonder about the essence of things is that it’s located somewhere between the deep country soil and modern indie field and therefore might turn out to be equally enjoyable and uplifting place for both indie hipsters and old back porch hillbillies. All you need is one praising pitchfork review and all those The Shins and Death Cab For Cutie loving indie boys and girls (I’m one of them) are into country music before they know what hit them.
Have Gun, Will Travel have taken their name from a western television serie and they come from Bradenton, Florida. The album Postcards From The Friendly City pays a homage to their hometown and all the songs and the stories take place in Bradenton. I can’t say what is true and what is purely fictional because I don’t know a thing about the city or its history, but I can say that everything is really enjoyable and part of me wants to go and book a plane ticket in order to see the town that gave birth to these stories. These well-written stories wrapped into these pop-tinged folk and americana songs is a winning combination and it makes this album work like a beauty. Salad Days and Soles Of Our Shoes are my big favourites, but basicly I like everything on the record.
Listen to Salad Days:
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