On the first pass through a Backyard Tire Fire album, it’s tempting to keep a checklist of every band or artist whose sound bubbles up through BTF’s Americana party mix. And while the list is potentially long and fairly illustrious, it’s the subsequent listens that prove the fact that Backyard Tire Fire is no mere collection of rehashed influences. Frontman Ed Anderson can turn a lyrical phrase and a musical passage with the originality and authority of Neil Young, Jeff Tweedy, Jay Farrar and Gary Louris but, just as importantly, he writes songs that transcend any comparisons to his alt.country peer group. Listen hard enough to BTF’s third album, Vagabonds and Hooligans, and you’ll surely hear hints of everything from the whipcrack power of the Black Crowes and Drive-By Truckers to the pop subtlety of the Beatles and Clem Snide. You’ll also hear Anderson’s razor sharp lyrical perspective and sense of humor; when he declares he wants to be Tom Petty on the song of the same name, he and the band (bassist/vocalist Matt Anderson, drummer/vocalist Tim Kramp) sound more like a pensive Rev. Horton Heat. Keep track of the comparisons if you must, but rest assured you’ll only be hearing Backyard Tire Fire after the third spin.
~ Brian Baker
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