A.A. Bondy - Black Rain, Black Rain Album: American Hearts [2008]
a.a. bondy is actually the birth name (the initials stand for augeste arthur) of scott bondy, the former lead singer of birmingham's southern grunge darlings verbena, frequently compared to nirvana because of their gritty, aggressive sound and bondy's searing vocals. the band, which also included daniel johnston, was formed when all three were in high school in the early '90s and recorded three albums before calling it quits in 2003. bondy retreated to his home in upstate new york and in time began writing songs again, emerging with a stripped-down indie folk sound. he recorded and mixed his debut solo album, "american hearts", at a barn near his home, releasing the project in 2007. in fact, the entire album was recorded with just two microphones. it was picked up by fat possum and re-released early in 2008. full of darkly sardonic songs, bondy leaves behind the rock crunch of his former band for bluesy folk songs about damnation and salvation. it ends up somewhere between bob dylan and ryan adams, wrapped in flannel shirts and muddied boots. each and every song is deep in meaning and the harmonica that accompanies most of the tracks creates a memorable atmosphere. "black rain, black rain" is the perfect soundtrack to rain in early spring.
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