Big Neck (2024)
I'm never going to be a big fan of live albums. Even the live albums that I like aren't records that I play very frequently. For me, it's always just been one of those things where the experience of being at the show will always dwarf anything that gets recorded. Despite not being at this Stools show, or being super familiar with them in general, I have to think the folks who were at that show had a significantly different experience than the one that I have listening to the record.
Starting off with the positives, I really like the music and in particular the guitar playing that The Stools are bringing to the table (yes, that's sort of a joke about stools and tables, all apologies). There's a lot of blues riffs played at warp speed that makes me thing of that first Black-Eyed Snakes album, but with less of a Doo Rag feeling. The pounding rhythm section just further highlights this riff-a-polooza and I imagine watching it live was pretty incredible.
Where this album dips down for me a bit is the vocals. They're a little screamier than I usually like, but I think the main issue is this is where the fidelity of the live recording breaks down. It's all very muffled, particularly compared to the instruments and more than anything, it makes me feel like this is the recording of someone with a tape player in their pocket. I imagine that's not the case, but for me it's tough to get into the record when the vocals are so muted.
The Stools - Live At Outer Limits 12-28-19:
https://bigneckrecords1.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-outer-limits
