The Skiffle Players are a bit of a supergroup that includes Cass McCombs, Neal Casal, Farmer Dave Sher, Dan Horne, and Aaron Sperske. For those who have never heard the term skiffle before, it is a precursor to rock ‘n roll that combines elements of jazz, blues, folk and country influences with a combination of manufactured and homemade/improvised instruments that became re-popularized in the UK in the 1950’s leading to several important musical movements – the second British folk revival, blues boom and British Invasion. To quote Billy Bragg it is “Basically, …English schoolboys playing Lead Belly’s repertoire.” The Skiffle Players follow their excellent 2016 release Skifflin’ and the 2018 Piffle Sayers EP with their second full-length album, Skiff. There has been some notable changes since their debut, with the group forgoing the role of band leader so everyone can contribute to songs as well as their efforts to bring together even more sounds than in the past. Skiff includes some skiffle with psychedelic rock, bluegrass, country rock, blues rock, and more. Standout tracks include: the Farmer Dave Scher-penned opening track “Cara”; the Cass McCombs number “Local Boy”; the Neal Casal track “Miss It When It’s Gone”; the humorous McComb’s track “The Law Offices of Dewey, Cheatum And Howe”; the Casal sun-bleached rambler, “Los Angeles Alleyway”; the McCombs ditty “Oakland Scottish Rite Temple Waltz”; the tripped-out “Santa Fe”; and a cover of the traditional number “Sweet Georgia Brown.” Skiff is an outstanding album that deconstructs elements of skiffle and rock n’ roll and reconstructs them in new and playful ways that sound familiar but fresh all at the same time. – Written by JFelton
SIMILAR | Neal Casal, Beachwood Sparks, Farmer Dave Scher, Cass McCombs