It turns out the big deal is a solid album of acid country tunes that are big, bold, and brassy. From all accounts, Mountain Meadows is a much better representation of what the band can do live on stage than the previous album, which should account for my feelings on that album: weak in the production department even though the tunes showed a lot of promise. “Write It All Down For You” and “Fingers and Tongues” are knockouts; Elliott Brood pull no punches when it comes to these swaggering fists of fury. Their isn’t a bum note on the album in my humble opinion. I’m kicking myself for not giving the band a second chance sooner, but glad I’ve caught up with the times (and the ‘Brood) in time to consider Mountain Meadows for my Polaris list.