Jon Langford & Skull Orchard first came together to tour 2010’s Old Devils, itself the product of an alliance with veteran basher Joe Camarillo (The Waco Bothers) alongside fellow British expats and current Chicago residents, guitarist Jim Elkington (The Zincs, The Horse’s Ha) and bassist Alan Doughty (The Waco Brothers, Jesus Jones). The line-up soon expanded to include singer/actress Tawny Newsome and vocalist/violinist Jean Cook, each adding harmony and counterpoint to Langford’s inimitable Welsh burr.
Skull Orchard’s path was deliberate and drawn out over a three year period, with most tracks recorded at Chicago’s Kingsize Sound Labs with engineer/mixer Mike Hagler. Added sonic color comes courtesy of New Orleans’ Bonerama Horns, who contribute big brass to “What Did You Do In The War?” while Leeds’ own Barkley McKay (The Waco Brothers, The Pretty Things) adds Hammond B3 licks to the cheeky “Lil’ Ray O’Light.” Having recorded upwards of 25 songs, Langford then whittled the tracklisting down to “the album that made the most sense.”
“When we did Old Devils, he says, “I just forced everyone into the studio, I didn’t play anyone much of anything beforehand. With this album, we really took our time. I thought, the last thing the world needs is a half-formed Jon Langford album, so we won’t put something out until it’s actually finished.”