So what does a Racoon Wedding sound like, exactly? Something akin to Kings of Leon circa Aha Shake Heartbreak if the boys went on a bender in Nawlins and never quite lost the itch they caught down in the Big Easy.Raccoon Dead On the Side of the Road was strictly an in-house effort—well, in warehouse, really—the Canadian sextuplet recorded this album over five days in an old Paris (Ontario) flop, and multi-instrumentalist band member Scott Wilson mastered the tracks. The result is essentially a rarities tape with the royal treatment, and it sure is one helluva Canuck smorgasbord.The record is loud and crowded, yet it all blends together like the boisterous roar of a Saturday night dive you’ve been indulging at for too many hours. Lulling moments seem to come without notice, inevitably building to another tussle, another kick and a yell. There are noises and influences aplenty in the mix—horns are a big piece of the Racoon puzzle and add a unique, boisterous element to the set; trombones provide just the right level of somber drone to an otherwise drunken swinging John festival on “Local Ghosts;” “Of the River” picks in waltz like Deer Tick’s “Smith Hill”—another toasted ode to romantic sins—then there’re hints of everything from working class ska to the punch of Cold War Kids (sidebar: Anyone heard from the kids in a while? Hope they’re doing alright...) and the old porcelain sink in need of repair.Apologies for throwing all that at ya in one bundle; but, then again, that’s pretty much Raccoon Dead to a note—anything and everything they can get a handle on, kickin’ and live. Regardless, bet the ol’ warehouse—we’ve got ourselves a damn good record here.
