Dead Western Reviews (KDVS 006)
"Soften Your Screams Into Sings"

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Announcing the release of a momentous new LP, the sixth release from KDVS Recordings...

Soften Your Screams Into Sings is the first full-length album by Dead Western, a live staple of the Sacto psych/folk scene for the last few years, and the main musical project of artist Troy Mighty, who's known around here for his incredible drawings (with incredible linework often approaching the extreme detail of Nick Blinko) and for blowing horns in the amazing Antennas Erupt (r.i.p. 2005). I heard someone once say "Tiny Tim meets Peter Walker", but that oversimplifies Dead Western far too much. Surely, his songs can be miserably heart-rending, yet hopeful or even happy within the same verse. Basso profundo vocals swell your tears until the falsetto drives 'em away. Melancholic minimal guitar is the bedrock of most songs, but a mandolin, bass clarinet, kazoo, and maybe some other instruments provide an effective backdrop for Troy's very pliable singing voice, which is truly one of the most effective voices exploring the emotional depths and heights in the weirdfolk territories. This gets my highest recommendation as one of the best albums of 2008. ---DJ Rick (Art for Spastics, KDVS)
http://artforspastics.blogspot.com/2008/08/afs-v-190-w-dead-western-live-in-studio.html

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When Dead Western's Soften Your Screams Into Sings LP (put out by KDVS) hit the mailbox my first thought was how lovely the sleeve looked, then turning over to see a photo of actual naked modern hippies in a forest (one of which was climbing a tree) I immediately thought I had this whole deal figured out. West coast, future Arthurfest participants, etc.; I know pretty much what to expect here. Well, it took me a good couple minutes to figure out what speed this thing played at, and when I did discovered this thing to be a real treasure outta left field. Fragile instrumentation, heartfelt songs, but a truly alien voice delivering what I can only describe to be what you'd expect Peter Jefferies in the persona of the Pink Panther to be, or something similar. Woozy, deep, resonant bass vox wobbling around the grooves here which I now know belong to Sacramento musican/artist fixture Troy Mighty who I remember from the free jazz-leaning noiseniks Antennas Erupt. The variety of instrumentation, while being minimal, is also pretty rich in emotion. ---Brian Turner, WFMU, Beware of the Blog

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I pretty much liked Dead Western's deep theatrical voice on his previous demo and cdr. Now it seemed that the image, presentation and context-provoking voice has matured very much, by using it in a more human and sensitive way, less deep, without losing the still fantasy provoking nature of it, its aspect becomes more romantic, directing, and more clear in the lyrics, and like a troubadour singing but then dreaming with them. I needed to listen a few times to this LP, -and the music deserves this-, for at first the voice and strummed guitar pieces come most to the fore, before the lyrical world came closer, and beautiful but sparse arrangements were revealed more as a next layer. It is nice to hear that there were some more worked out pickings on some of the songs. And especially the second vocalists work beautifully additionally to that. Brianna Lea Pruett who plays autoharp on "Beautifully powerful powerfully beautiful", added indeed a beautiful, strange high pitched elves-like voice to Troy's own voice. Further we have sparse arrangements / improvisations of violin (Kyla Cech) and accordion (Alec K.Redfearn) and trumpet (Daniel Grisham), and who knows what else (I heard some kaz ooand some small reed /sax arrangement near the end too). All of such arrangements serve these songs well. Even more of this (like glockenspiel or so) wouldn't have hurt this either.

An improvement in Dead Western's songwriting which benefits the psych-folk scene, providing another moment to dream along in its own somewhat unique way of provoking such scenery. The naked girls in the forest on the front cover should work in that direction too. ---Geraldpsyche
http://singersong. homestead. com/DeadWestern. htmlanchor_421

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Contemplation, sadness, mourning, the cozy feeling somewhere between lights out and conked-out—Dead Western's new 10-track LP, Soften Your Screams Into Sings, evokes these moods. Western, a.k.a. Troy Mighty, sings with a lamenting drawl; it may require a few listens for some to appreciate. Conversely, he strums merrily and plucks his acoustic guitar in a lazy Saturday afternoon way. Guest musicians enrich the lullabies with violin, trumpet, autoharp and accordion. Brianna Lea Pruett lends the "beautiful voice" on "Beautifully Powerful/Powerfully Beautiful," with such lyrics as: "When the sun is cold and dead is when I will cease to believe that we are the perfect team." Soften comes out August 22, encased in intricate, lacy silk-screens crafted by Mighty himself. ---Niki Kangas (SN&R)
http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/Content?oid=745543

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the long awaited self-titled seven inch is now available on Weird Forest records.. Clear vinyl, hand-cut and numbered sleeves, limited to 500. See me on tour to get one of your own, or contact the label directly at www.weirdforest.com

..two manic mandolin songs, recorded in barcelona, january 06.. released by fuck the bastards in barcelona.. beautifully thick clear vinyl.. to get a copy of your own, come see dead western live, contact the label, or send a message..
http://www.sindominio.net/rbronka/ftb/index.html

new ep, "I am content in my presence", out now.. four new songs and one cover, recorded live in southern spain, december 05.. please inquire about ordering.