The Derangers - The Legend of Daphne Blue and the Westernmental Sound (CD)

The Legend of Daphne Blue and the Westernmental Sound is a retrospective of the best Derangers instrumental music spanning more than two decades. 1990’s original spaghetti western-styled theme, Rio Sangre is the collection’s oldest track, and the band’s twangified cover of Wichita Lineman, recorded in November of 2013, is the newest.

The music ranges from straight early ‘60s California surf with tracks like Santa Monica and Monkey Island to the exotic spy jazz and Arabesque motifs of Ether Cocktail and The Impaler. There’s ’69 Firebird’s hot rod sound and the lush tropical layering of “Agave Rain. But the main wave of the Derangers’ sound is their Westermental themes. Tracks like Rio Sangre, Tears of the Seneca, Twang ‘em High, and El Chupacabra conjure cinematic images of a lone rider emerging over the desert horizon, making his way toward a doomed desert town, accompanied only by danger.

Front and center is Drew Townson’s steely, reverb-clad guitar, supported by a cast of some of the best players in the New England music scene. So jump in your vintage Longhorn Caddy Convertible, turn west on Route 66, and cruise to the Westermental sound of The Derangers’ first full length album, The Legend of Daphne Blue and the Westernmental Sound.