Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir - Ten Thousand

With a name like Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir, you can’t help but distil it down to its constituent elements to test its veracity. Sadly then, not being in anyway gospel, nor stemming from ‘the mountains’, the Agnostics are about as accurately named as the Alabama 3. Thankfully they’re a hundred times more interesting. Coming across like a quartet of Seasick Steves with life experiences and beards that belie their ages, these gruff, whiskey-soaked men tout a spit ’n’ sawdust, knuckle-bruising, bluegrass bar-room stomp, pondering eternal dilemmas such as “life is long, but not long enough.” And things ain’t likely to get any easier. “I’ve been here ten thousand years and I’ll be here ten thousand more” gurgles singer Bob Keelaghan on the hoe-down finale title track, raising a toast to the repetitive cycle of the cosmos. Still, the Agnostics can clearly crack a knowing smile at life’s knocks and absurdities, and you probably will too. [Darren Carle]