Trampled by Turtles
Life Is Good On the Open Road
(Banjodad Records)
4.5/5
Fifteen years ago, Trampled by Turtles emerged from Duluth, Minnesota; by combining elements of bluegrass, rock, folk, and punk, they turned a new generation onto string bands. Now, after a brief hiatus, Trampled By Turtles are back with their ninth LP, Life Is Good On the Open Road.
They jump in with the lead single, “Kelly’s Bar,” and a kitchen party breaks out before they reach the first chorus. The fiddle-led assault is nothing short of frantic. While there are a number of great tracks, “Blood in the Water” stands out above the rest. With an angry tone not heard on previous Trampled by Turtles albums, the song sounds like a punk band playing a bluegrass cover of a late ’80s Suicidal Tendencies track.
Every one of this band’s albums has some softer tracks that get lost in the energy that we call Trampled by Turtles, and Life Is Good On the Open Road is no exception. Still, all the songs blend together quite well, and it has the ebbs and flows of a masterfully engineered album. The band has stayed true to their sound over the years, and Life Is Good On the Open Road is Trampled by Turtles at their very best.