Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs Saddle Up

UK punk turned Georgia artist Holly Golightly and her better half, Lawyer Dave (aka “& the Brokeoffs”), picked a theme and stuck to it on new album Clippety Clop, out May 4th.

The couple rescues and cares for horses near Athens, so they took in their own interests and experiences while choosing old country, blues, and indie rock songs to cover. Singing what reflects their surroundings and experiences, as respectable folk singers should, makes for a 12-track collection of horse-themed songs.

The songs tell a brief history of popular music, from the traditions kept alive by Woody Guthrie and Alan Lomax to the work of fellow rockers with ears for the past. The former dominates the album, while the latter comes via a cover of alt-rockers Red Red Meat’s “Carpet of Horses.” The couple adds their own sonic twist to each archival find, making Big Maybelle’s “Jinny Mule” sound like rockabilly and turning cowboy trail anthem “I Ride an Old Paint” into a Vaselines song.

In a market full of archival releases and artists lauded as traditionalists, it’s as good a roots music history lesson as you’ll find in 2018. Toss in a talented duo able to give these songs shiny new coats of paint, and Clippety Clop is no dog and pony show.

Photo by Troy Martin.