The Madisons
No One's Ever Gonna Know Your Name
Reviewed by Jim Caligiuri, Fri., Sept. 4, 2015
They call themselves garage-folk, but that's the Madisons underestimating themselves. After two releases featuring a rotating cast of characters, they've settled into a septet of fiddles, trumpets, guitars, and percussion that's ramshackle in all the right places. No One's Ever Gonna Know Your Name purports the tale of a young Mexican named Sal, whose childhood can best be described as poor, and who then enlists in the Army, battles alcoholism, and endures a pair of divorces before finding love and happiness. All in the span of 10 songs. The breadth of sound conveying this evokes Alejandro Escovedo, the songs filled with Southwestern imagery rooted in a wide swath of Texas rock, country, and none of the above. The swaggering alt.country of "Bar Stool" and the heartrending acoustic ramble "Melissa" are among the high points of a collection best appreciated whole.
