Friday, November 11, 2016

CD Odyssey Disc 936: Drive-By Truckers

I got home last night to learn that Leonard Cohen had died. I’ll have more to say on that in my next review, but for now I’ll just note that Leonard Cohen has been a huge part of my life. He’s helped me through hard times and helped me appreciate the good ones as well. Last night Sheila and I put on five of his albums, got drunk, and remembered him. Yes, tears were shed and yes, some of them were mine.

But as today is Remembrance Day, let’s take a moment for all the brave servicemen and women who have served our country. Use that minute of silence wisely, and let it sink deep down in you.

And now, against all odds, more Drive-By Truckers. My intro was going to be all about how statistically unlikely that is but other events were just more important.

Disc 936 is….English Oceans
Artist: Drive-By Truckers

Year of Release: 2014

What’s up with the Cover? This is another cover by artist Wes Freed. If the Drive-By Truckers are going to use the same artist for the album covers so often I’m glad it is this guy and not that guy who does Steve Earle covers these days.

Here, two creepy figures lurking off the coast for unwary swimmers. I like to imagine they are nereids because Greek mythology makes everything cooler. What could be creepier than seeing these two figures by the light of the full moon? When you open the album up you find out:
It's three nereids! I’m glad the cover doesn’t unfold any further. I don’t think my heart could take it.

How I Came To Know It: I’ve told this tale a bit too much of late. I traced them back through my interest in Jason Isbell’s solo work (Isbell having once been a member of the DBT). I’ve been drilling through their entire discography to see what I liked, and “English Oceans” was one of the albums that made the grade.

How It Stacks Up:  I have five Drive-By Truckers albums. I’m starting to get a good appreciation of each, given how much of my listening time they’ve taken up over the past week. I like “English Oceans” but I only buy my favourite DBT albums so competition is tough, and I must put it last out of those five.

Ratings: 3 stars

The Drive-By Truckers have been on a good run for the past five years, with three solid albums released in that time. “English Oceans” is the middle child of that run, and while it sits in the shadows of its closest siblings, it still has that signature Drive-By Truckers southern rock sound, and the thoughtful songwriting of both Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood to keep its head above water (get it? get it?).

Hood’s voice is more steeped in a southern drawl, and Cooley’s tone is a bit flatter and more country. Like Blue Rodeo’s Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy, it is the trading off between the two voices that helps give the record its range.

The album opens with the rockin’ Mike Cooley number “Shit Shots Count” that has the Drive-By Truckers exploring the plight of the working man, with language that he might use to describe his own circumstances. It a cynical song, but it is meant to be, and it rocks out with just the right amount of ‘give ‘er!’ to sell the illusion.

Primer Coat” is another Cooley stand out; a touching character study of a father coming to terms with giving his only daughter away in marriage. It is a poignant glimpse into the life of a man who says very little, but has oceans of emotion going on underneath. The song ends:

“My sister’s marrying in the spring and everything will be fine
Mama’s planning the wedding, Daddy’s planning on crying
She’s slipping out of her apron strings
You best let him be
He’s staring through his own taillights and gathering speed.”

As Drive-By Truckers’ songs go this is positively jubilant.

The album is largely introspective, but this being the Truckers there is a bit of political commentary as well. “The Part of Him” is a Patterson Hood number about a corrupt self-serving politician. The song has a nice rolling quality, and the touches of banjo put a nice jump in that roll. The lyrics are stark and Hood ably employs a caesura mid-line to drive home internal rhymes. My favourite one is:

He was an absolute…piece of shit to tell the truth.”

I like it because it features a curse word (that’s always fun, right?), but it isn’t a great line of poetry on its own. I would’ve liked the song to use a bit more metaphor. That would have detracted from the stark tone Hood is trying to strike, so maybe I shouldn’t quibble. Besides the opening line…

“He was elected, wingnut raised and corn fed
Teabags dragging on the chamber floor.”

…is pretty brilliant.

Hood’s other standout is “When Walter Went Crazy” which has the great line:

“When Walter went crazy he had rattlesnake in his eyes
Blended whisky in his veins and murder in his heart.”

The album’s penultimate track is a finger-picked Cooley number called “First Air of Autumn.” The song has a gentle, calming tone which belies the underlying tone of sadness and decay. As school starts and life resumes, the narrator is left feeling numb and directionless.

Maybe the stark uncertainty of “First Air of Autumn” is why the band felt the need to conclude the record with the upbeat “Grand Canyon”. It is a song of friendship and natural beauty and I would have liked it a lont more if it weren’t for the two minutes of groaning guitar feedback and atmospheric noodling at the end. The song is 7:50 in length and should be (you guessed it) 5:50.

“English Oceans” is a good record, but having very recently delved into the brilliance of “Decoration Day” and “American Band” I have developed higher standards for these guys. Maybe for this reason I judge “English Oceans” a bit harshly, but it is still a welcome addition to the collection.


Best tracks: Shit Shots Count, Primer Coat, When Walter Went Crazy, First Air of Autumn

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