The folk music of Great Britain was a building block of American country music. Milwaukee’s Tangled Lines reinterprets that root source for a fresh sound that at once threatens to be a genre unto itself. Tenor-voiced James Davies makes no effort to squelch the Celtic brogue as he sings of reminiscence, trepidation, hope and reconciliation. The lyrics are astute and realistically sad when necessary, but not so self-deprecating as to make one’s beer taste of teardrops.
Tangled Lines’ instrumental approach may be what sets them apart furthest from country/Americana acts. Their from-across-the-Atlantic influences makes peace with traditional American sounds without overpowering them. Employing that sort of alchemy to dance beats apropos for a rustic honkytonk, a ’90s boot-scooting country bar’s dance floor and an ’80s goth haunt is but another hallmark of Tangled Lines’ singular, yet easily approachable aesthetic. The crossover possibilities abound, and the band sounds ready to tackle them with heart.
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