Betting On the House Is Wise. The Margaret Hooligans push in all their chips.

 

click photo for video

Are you familiar with going all in in a poker game? The adrenaline. The doubt. The sense that there is no going back. This record is the sound of a band doing just that. Nothing is left behind.

I am moved to review two songs in a day, forgive brevity. Margaret Hooligans make a great noise. The drums drive like they used to back when drumming was good and didn't just have a play/pause button, the guitar scratches and calls, the vocals are exceptional. I think Betting On the House is one of the most loving songs I have heard for a long time, without the tropes of a love song as such. Say My Name, indeed. Why Won't They Say My Name?

Daytime for Blanche is supposed to be the B side but that is an outmoded concept these days. I always loved B sides and I adore this. There is something vulnerable and lost in this song that will touch anyone with a soul. Which, despite popular myth is everyone.

Link to Daytime for Blanche video is hiding under the picture above. I would listen to that first. Then the A side https://open.spotify.com/track/1YbaAo6nlbU7XwBSoy0ec2?si=6b9b5d08c04644ae