David Ramirez “Rules and Regulations”

‘Rules and Regulations’ is a six track EP follow up to Ramirez’ 2020 full length album ‘My Love is a Hurricane’, comprising a collection of songs written for other projects but, until now, not recorded.  Ramirez is based in Austin Texas, where the EP was recorded at Austin Signal Studios. Following in the steps of such luminaries as The Cowboy Junkies, and more recently Bard Edrington V, the tracks were recorded live, with no overdubs, using vintage microphones and what he describes as “first-edition recording equipment”, over a two day period.  The simple approach to recording gives the EP a stripped back, but clean rather than raw, sound, and Ramirez’ vocals are able to shine throughout. Opening track ‘Teach Me Your Language’ has more than a hint of Bill Callahan, early Smog era, in it’s rhythmic guitar, and the tone of Ramirez’ vocals, with backing subdued, keys low down in the mix, subtle pedal steel, and a short and melodic guitar solo. On ‘Can You Hear the Silence’ , with almost spoken vocals, a la Leonard Cohen, a found sound introduction shades into aircraft overhead, before twang guitar takes us to a desert scene, and Ramirez intones “Can you hear the silence right above the trees / every fifteen minutes they used to be / a strong wind blowing, a violent breeze / evil gods flying on silver wings”.