ANTLER "Behind The Key -Take it down. Way Down. Time for a tear and a beer. Dim the lights and raise the lighters for Dave Unger's sensitive keyboard intro. Not to be out done, Ian's lengthy guitar solo is absolutely amazing. I personally think it's the best he's ever recorded. And that slick mother fucker did it in one take with half a Marlboro hanging outta his mouth like the stoned ghost of Joe Perry." Comprised of Roadsaw and Quintaine Americana members, Antler harkens back to the heyday of AM radio with the release of their sophomore album, "Nothing That A Bullet Couldn't Cure." Takin' the listener on a trip to the south side of the Mason Dixie line, the album picks up where Antler's self titled debut left off. As such, "Nothing That A Bullet Couldn't Cure" delivers dark romanticism that comes off like a trip down a memory lane that's chock full of dusty tales, hard times and southern gothic. With its rough & tumble twin guitars, weeping organ riffs, and soulful, whiskey throathed vocals locked together like the unholy pact between Gram Parsons & Phil Kaufman, "Nothing That A Bullet Couldn't Cure" is another fine release by Detroits' very own Small Stone Records. Words | Tim After our 2004 self-titled debut was warmly received, Antler enjoyed an unspoken victory among the six of us. We weren't sure how our new sound would go over with those familiar with our former bands heavier history. Thankfully, most people dug the rootsier more melodic approach and on a sloppy sparse Wednesday stop in Detroit, long time Roadsaw fan and Small Stone honcho Scott Hamilton bought shots and offered Antler a home on his stellar roster. Soon afterward ex-Roadsaw guitarist Ian Ross and Quintaine Americana bass player Marc Schleicher climbed into the new line up and muscled up the sound. Rolling confidently into 2006, Antler gathered in the warm and familiar Mad Oak Studios, which just so happens to be owned and operated by our singer Craig Riggs. His vocal talents are equally matched by his production and engineering skills. Turning away from the safe tidy ways of our debut sessions, Riggs's gritty go for broke who gives a shit twist was liberating and absolutely necessary. "Nothing That A Bullet Couldn't Cure" packs 11 ragged chapters into the black wax. The grooves lean deep, dark and hard to knock out sparks. It's a damaged classic that scratches that black crack in the back of your skull. Sorry to ramble on like a maniac. I'm just drunk with pride and standing tall on it all. Dig it if you will. Those that don't aren't supposed to. That's cool with me. NOTHING THAT A BULLET COULDN'T CURE > On to the songs... The Gentle Butcher Kicking this disc off with a fist of a riff, this one has it all. The lyrics paint a bloody portrait of a happy meat cleaver and his willing victims. The band is all crank and swagger and all business till the bridge. Then out come the horns. The brass kind not the barnyard variety. Oh, far out. A calliope flashback at the end. Deep In A Hole A shot of Southern snot from above the Mason Dixon line. This is where critics slip in the redundant Skynyrd observation. I can't argue. I had to laugh when someone spotted the intro rip-off lifted from Jefferson Starships 80’s hit "Jane." Ha! A Little Goes A Long Way Hey, it's an AM pop gem. What's AM? Nevermind. We chucked this into the mix just for shits and giggles. Listen closer though. Is this about first lost love or rationing a secret stash? Behind The Key Take it down. Way Down. Time for a tear and a beer. Dim the lights and raise the lighters for Dave Unger's sensitive keyboard intro. Not to be out done, Ian's lengthy guitar solo is absolutely amazing. I personally think it's the best he's ever recorded. And that slick mother fucker did it in one take with half a Marlboro hanging outta his mouth like the stoned ghost of Joe Perry. They Know I'm the One Before there were lyrics or a title, we called this "Antler John" because of the obvious "Benny and The Jets" tempo. I wrote it and we learned it in the studio as basics were being laid down. Words came to Craig during overdubs. Fresh off the bong, baby. A personal fave. Frozen Over A crowd pleaser, I was inspired by a small story in the daily paper about an unidentified body found in the Charles River during an early spring thaw. There are more lyrics in this song than words in the article. Broke, homeless, old, alone and instantly forgetten. "It aint no way to die." Reminds Me Of A Way An epic in structure and nature, Craig left no note unturned and no chord un-strummed when he conjured up this number. It's a an unexpected journey, a crafted imaginative ballad that has no answers and never looks back. Some dynamite crooning with a hint of Allman. Black Eyed Stranger Wave as the plague arrives without invitation, hot on the whiff of desperation and disease. I stab a nasty two note solo into the thick mid section and it oozes like a jagged wound. Drunk audiences get lost nodding along to the odd timing. See Me Hang Rigg's brings it again. How does he make that falsetto sound so cool? My Favorite Enemy A fast flash down memory lane and that old love/hate taste you never really get rid of. Definitely the odd man out. The jury is split on this verdict A River Underground The last dance. The tender sunset. The slow wave. The credits roll. The spotlight dims. A sad smile. A kiss goodbye. A faded snapshot of your younger face. Curled and cracked along the edges.