Rodney DeCroo - Mockingbird Bible (Northern Electric) Rodney DeCoo’s second record is an assemblage of dark country-folk songs. I’m loath to use a word like “gothic”, but you know what I mean. With his band (including Flophouse Jr.’s Jon Wood on guitar and producing) they’ve put together an album that brings to mind those early Palace Brothers recordings or, at a pinch, a more sedate Gun Club; if DeCroo isn’t specifically talking about walking in the woods and getting baptised in the river, there’s certainly a suspicion that it’s on the agenda. Opening track “Sacred Ground” sets the scene. Religous imagery - 16 Horsepower style - gives way to “Mockingbird”; heartbreak and rejection turn into despair. “Long White Bird” begins with a chippy mandolin before almost instantly mutating into something altogether more unsettling, and musically bold with guitars and keyboards coming together. These are serious songs sung by a serious songwriter and played by a band completely in sync. Put DeCroo and his band in front of a UK audience and there’s a career to be made. Mockingbird Bible is a perfect blend of dark folk, country yearning and indie cool. Uncut should be lapping it up. www.myspace.com/wartornman Rob F. Next