What do you get when you combine the mythos of Nosferatu, delta blues, garage rock, and psychedelic folk? Well you get what Irish musician/songwriter Roscó Flanagan is cooking up.
Roscó Flanagan love the blues. He pulls inspiration and influence from the greats like Howlin’ Wolf and Fred McDowell; as well as 60s blues/psych freak Captain Beefheart, and indie folk stalwarts Gomez and Beta Band. He combines the traditional with modern ferocity, creating a sound steeped in history but always moving forward.
His latest bit of business is the song “Renfields’s Blues”, a dirty, bluesy slide guitar showcase that has touches of the aforementioned artists, along with the more contemporary sounds of blues duos Left Lane Cruiser, Black Keys, early Ben Harper, and Gary Clark, Jr. He’s writing these tracks around the spirit and mythos of Nosferatu, even going so far as using F.W. Murnau’s 1922 masterpiece Nosferatu as a visual aid for the song’s music video. It all comes together in a very Gothic, folks-y, and bluesy way.
The song is steeped in delta blues, as Flanagan’s slide playing is more than capable of bringing to mind dusty crossroads, juke joints, and deals with the devil. Dropping the blues mythos into the world of Count Orloc, Renfield, and Van Helsing feels kind of perfect, and long overdue.
“Renfield’s Blues” follows previous singles “The Milkman” and “Sugarburn Blues” and is the grittiest of the three. You can give the track and video your attention below. Hit up Flanagan’s Bandcamp and drop some digital coin and snag all 3 of Flanagan’s tracks. Hit the follow button and wait for what’s coming next.
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