This is my second consecutive
review of an album released in 2000. The last one was a vitriol-fueled rap
record from Eminem. This one is an uplifting folk record from Dar Williams. It
takes all kinds to make the music world turn, my friends.
Disc 1070 is…The Green World
Artist: Dar
Williams
Year of Release: 2000
What’s up with the Cover? Folk album covers from this era
are often some sort of bad photograph, but Dar Williams does this trend one
worse, by making a cover festooned with a multitude of bad photographs.
How I Came To Know It: Last year I decided to dive deep
into Dar Williams’ back catalogue. The results were mostly positive. Of the ten
studio albums I checked out, I liked seven, and added six to the collection (I still
haven’t found 2015’s “Emerald” which I suspect is plagued by the relatively
short print runs CDs get in recent years).
How It Stacks Up: I have five Dar Williams albums at present.
Now you’re thinking, “I thought he said he found six already…?” which is true,
but “End of the Summer” was not shelf-worthy and after a carefully
considered three listens, I’m down to five. Of those five, I rank “The Green
Room” second, behind only “Mortal City”.
Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4
Maybe it
was the recent taste of Eminem in my mouth, but “The Green World” just seemed
so damned uplifting. It’s proof that there are lots of ways to look at tragedy,
and Dar Williams’ way is to take bad news as an opportunity to examine and
broaden your perspective.
She does
this primarily through the subtle exploration of character. These songs don’t
immediately jump out at you, either melodically or lyrically, but when they finally
get through it is worth the wait.
The
album opens with “Playing to the Firmament”
a song which made me think of that happy hippy who lived on your street when
you were growing up. You know the one – that person who had a tough life but
nevertheless managed a kind word for everyone. They’d even smile at miserable old
lady who would slam her front door in protest if the kids in the street were played
too loud for her liking. Yes, there were such ladies on my street; just the one
door slammer, but lots of unsung heroes playing to the firmament.
“Playing to the Firmament” is a song
about looking above the pettiness of our daily lives, seeing the broad blue sky
with fresh eyes and celebrating that the human spirit can always rise above. Dar
plays it bright and playful, setting the tone for a record that will have its
share of tragedy but at its core is optimistic for the future.
That optimism
is put to the test on “After All” the
record’s saddest song, and also its best. A song about lost love, depression
and self-loathing, with such heartfelt lines as:
“And it felt like a winter
machine that you go through and then
You catch your breath and winter
starts again
And everyone else is spring
bound.
“And when I chose to live there
was no joy, it’s just a line I crossed
It wasn’t worth the pain my death
would cost
So I was not lost or found.”
Poignant
and I also like the cadence and finality created by Dar’s clever use of line
length and rhyme scheme. This song could get dark, but instead Dar’s character
explores backward through her family, finding a connection in all the
experiences that came before her, and how her own experiences also have a place
in the world that matter. Or as Dar sums it up:
“’Cause when you live in a world well
it gets into who you thought you’d be
And now I laugh at how the world
changed me
I think that life chose me after
all.”
This
song reminded me a lot of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s series of poems on grief
called “In Memoriam” and how it
slowly explores the stages of grief and how we can come through the darkest
times. If you haven’t read “In Memoriam”
(the whole thing, monkey - not the three excerpts they anthologize in Norton’s)
then I strongly recommend it. It’ll be two of the most beautiful hours you will
ever spend reading. But I digress…
Back to
Dar, who explores putting aside desire – Buddhist style – in “What Do You Love More Than Love” and on “Calling the Moon” lets you see the world
through the perspective of the moon (who seems very nice, by the way). She even
does a fun twist on a bit of pop culture with “I Won’t Be Your Yoko Ono”, suggesting it was John holding Yoko back.
I generally can’t stand Yoko’s art, but the twist makes for a fun song.
This
record isn’t perfect. There are times when Dar can sound a bit trite, and her
vocals when she goes into her head voice can feel a bit thin, but that is her
style and these aren’t easy or obvious melodies she’s singing. Also, I found
the production a bit lush and pop-like, which tended to make it harder to hear
the intricate character studies Dar is revealing.
Overall,
however, this record gave me a nice sense that things tend to work out if you
let them and after reviewing a couple of Dar’s weaker albums, a good reminder
of her skills as a singer-songwriter.
Best
tracks: Playing
to the Firmament, After All, It Happens Every Day, Another Mystery
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