Abandon Ship Vinyl Disc (180g Vinyl)

Rules exist in order to break them. Genres exist to be blurred. You might have thought that The Ragtime Rumors would never be able to surpass the fearless alchemy of 2018's debut Rag ’N Roll — a rebellious clash of vintage blues, original rock and roll, gypsy jazz and whimsical storytelling. But with this year's "Abandoned Ship," you will, fortunately, be wrong. "In our opinion," the band members say, "Rag 'N Roll was the appetizer, and Abandon Ship was the main course."

Among the five-star reviews of Rag 'N Roll, there was one recurring complaint from purists ("We often hear that it's not real blues"). But for such an open-minded group, influenced by Robert Johnson and Tom Waits, as well as Pokey Lafarge and Django Reinhardt, this criticism was almost a badge of honor. And although Abandon Ship was recorded at Kink Studio and Dog Licks Recording in the Netherlands, it's nice to be back in the peculiar world of The Ragtime Rumours.

Immerse yourself in the lyrical landscape of dancing girls, moonshine sellers and Cadillacs and immerse yourself in a production where everything is possible. "We experimented a lot with sound," remember the line—up. "After a million changes, this album has become exactly what it should have been."

Blues purists will be damned. Abandon Ship is music without limits, for listeners without blinders. "We think the rules are designed to be broken," the band members say. "And we like to break the rules..."