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
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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