CD Odyssey Disc 1121: M. Ward

I’m at the front end of a long weekend and looking forward to it unfurling.

Disc 1121 is… Post-War

Artist: M. Ward

Year of Release: 2006

What’s up with the Cover? A bunch of banners hang against a washed out background. There are also a couple of random scenes – one with a building and one with a matador and a bull. The whole thing makes me want to put my hands on my hips and admonish M. Ward in my most matronly voice, “It looks like a warzone in here, Michael!” and demand he get his album cover in order before company arrives.

How I Came To Know It: This is yet another album from Paste Magazine’s “100 Top indie folk albums of all time” (this one came in at #28). I got a lot of music from that list.

How It Stacks Up:  M. Ward has nine solo albums, but this is the only one I have so it can’t stack up.

Ratings: 2 stars

I woke up early this morning hungry and hungover and took a walk. “Post-War” is soft indie folk and inoffensive background music for a hangover, but that’s about it. It definitely doesn’t deserve the lofty heights of #28 on Paste Magazine’s list.

So why did I buy it in the first place? Put simply, I fell for a kitschy little song called “Chinese Translation.” “Chinese Translation” is a sing-songy affair with a catchy melody and a sentimental story that reminds you that wisdom is mostly realizing that there aren’t easy answers. He says it better, but that’s the idea. While I still like the song, I liked it less after multiple listens and I’m starting to suspect it is a bit gimmicky.

I also liked “Requiem” which benefits from a cool guitar strum and a nice even emotional build, but outside of these songs I found “Post-War” largely forgettable. These are twee little songs that are fine at low volumes, but I expect more out of my music than that.

I could get into specifics, like the annoying decision to tack on about a minute of buzzing and old-timey radio onto the back end of “Right in the Head” but I’m not sure I would even remember that happening unless I was casting around for what was noteworthy enough for a music review. It was just hard to stay focused.

Part of the problem is M. Ward’s voice. It is light and airy and not bad, but it lacks the power and emotional gravitas to pull the songs up. The album suffers from the worst fault in indie music – it feels emotionally detached. It’s too bad, because M. Ward is a talented songwriter.

Ward is one half of the band She & Him, alongside Zooey Deschanel. I love “She & Him” and when I did tune back in from time to time it made wish Deschanel was singing. Her vocals are just what this stuff needs, but without it they don’t have enough juice to hold my interest. This morning before I wrote this I lay on the couch watching reruns of “New Girl” for a while. I think it was just me getting my fix of Zooey’s magic before I had to come back here and write about a record without her.

M. Ward has nine albums and after I discovered “Post-War” I delved into the collection to see if I liked anything else. I came up empty, which I should’ve taken a sign that I wasn’t picking up what he was putting down. Ah well, live and learn and appreciate him for his great work on “She & Him”. Then pass “Post-War” along to someone who will yawn less when listening to it.

Best tracks: Requiem, Chinese Translation

CD Odyssey Disc 1120: Middle Brother

Ever have a week with too much to do and not enough time to do it? Of course you have. Well I’m having one right now.

Disc 1120 is… Middle Brother (Self-Titled)

Artist: Middle Brother

Year of Release: 2011

What’s up with the Cover? Three hip cats just hanging out. John McCauley is wearing a Black Flag shirt which probably means he’s a fan, but there’s a chance he’s being ironic. There’s no way to know with these hipsters without asking, and I don’t have his number.

How I Came To Know It: Middle Brother was ranked #93 on Paste Magazine’s “100 Top indie folk albums of all time”. I’m not sure I would rank them #93, but I know a lot of folk albums and it is a seriously good one. I would have had it sooner but it was filed under “Deer Tick” at my local record store. More on why in a minute.

How It Stacks Up:  This is the only Middle Brother album so it can’t stack up.

Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4

When it comes to super groups there are plenty genres other than rock and roll where big names come together to do something new. “Middle Brother” is indie folk-rock’s answer to the super group.

But how super are they? The incorporate the core songwriting talents from the bands Deer Tick (John McCauley), Dawes (Taylor Goldsmith) and Delta Spirit (Matt Vasquez). I have two Dawes albums, had vaguely heard of Deer Tick and didn’t know who Delta Spirit was, so I wasn’t terribly impressed at the outset. However, Youtube puts these bands at a few hundred thousand hits up to two million, which for an indie band is pretty damned super. Jason Isbell even guests on guitar.

OK, so there are some big (for the genre) names here but is the music any good? Yes, it is. Middle Brother’s three principle songwriters all know their craft well and while they wear their influences on their sleeves, they wear them well. I’m not sure what tracks Isbell are on, but the guitar work throughout is excellent.

The album hearkens back to the early crossover days of folk, country and rock and both the songs and their delivery had me thinking of the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers. This is partly the nasal delivery of at least two of the “brothers” reminding me of Roger McGuinn but it goes deeper than that, and is found in the celebratory jangle present in even the sadder songs.

I also felt the influence of early rock and roll, and on “Me Me Me” I felt like half the A section was from Elvis Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel.” At any moment I was expecting at least one ‘brother’ to walk down to a preacher and say “I do”.

As you would expect from three accomplished songwriters there are some beautiful turns of phrase. The album begins with “Daydreaming” a sublimely plucked guitar and the lines:

“Early in the morning too hung over to go back to sleep

Every sound is amplified, every light so dizzying.

Listen for a while to the neighbours having sex

Wishing I could lay my aching head upon your breast.”

Great stuff from John McCauley, but every one of the trio has equally great stuff on the record. Unfortunately, it feels like they cram all their best material onto the front half of the record, and my favourite songs are the first six.

The last of those is “Portland,” the album’s only cover, features a jaunty high-voiced guitar that provides the perfect juxtaposition to the song’s themes of collapse and decadence. When I went to Youtube to hear the Replacements original I found myself disappointed. With its rounded tones and eighties production it just lacked the poignancy that Middle Brother manages to generate with their stark and honest delivery.

After “Portland” the album took a slightly downward turn. “Wilderness” is solid, with some great turns of phrase (my favourite: “I plan to be the kind of person that when he drinks, he disappoints”) but kind of lost me at the refrain, which isn’t a good place for a song to lose you.

After this there are a series of songs that reminded me of early Beatles, which would be great if you like early Beatles, but it isn’t my thing.  “Million Dollar Bill” is a pretty ending to the record, and I liked it, but as songs of lost love and regret go, I preferred the earlier track “Thanks for Nothing.”

These are minor quibbles, though, and the only real issue I had with Side Two was that it couldn’t match the sheer brilliance of Side One. Most records wish they could have that problem.

This is a record worth owning, and I left it with a strong sense that it will grow on me more and more with repeat listens.

Best tracks: Daydreaming, Blue Eyes, Thanks for Nothing, Middle Brother, Theatre, Portland

CD Odyssey Disc 1119: The Drive-By Truckers

I had a late night getting home and it was all I could do to watch a movie and then hit the hay. But today I am off work, up early and ready to roll! I think I’ll start the day with a cup of coffee and a music review!

Disc 1119 is… The Dirty South

Artist: Drive-By Truckers

Year of Release: 2004

What’s up with the Cover? More awesome and troubling art from Wes Freed, who does a lot of Drive-By Truckers covers. I’m glad that he does, because his style is great. Here we have some kind of Dr. Seuss tale gone wrong, where the lonely haunted forest is actually lonely and haunted – in this case by some card-slingin’, booze-drinkin’ demon. Even the moon is freaky in Freed’s world. Good times!

How I Came To Know It: I originally discovered Drive By-Truckers through my love for Jason Isbell (Isbell played on a few Drive By Truckers albums, including this one). Although this is arguably the Drive-By Truckers’ most famous album it took forever to find, and was one the last one I added to my collection.

How It Stacks Up:  I have 6 Drive-By Truckers albums and I like them all. Of the six, I put “The Dirty South” in 5^th place.

Ratings: 3 stars

Some albums just drip with geographical relevance so it comes as no surprise that “the Dirty South” soaks in a lot of imagery and storylines from the American South. Although my experience in the Southern states is limited, the album does a good job of painting the picture, albeit through a grimier and dirtier lens than it deserves. Hence the title, I suppose.

Mike Cooley’s “Where the Devil Don’t Stay” launches the album with a powerful thud of drum that shakes your innards, followed by a furious guitar riff that walks right up to the edge of metal, but stays grounded in the blues. It is a song about illicit poker games and illegal moonshine stills, and perfectly sets the tone for the record.

Not done with Southern themes, the album then switches to Patterson Hood’s more folksy “Tornadoes” which showcases the band’s talent for storytelling. My favourite verse:

“’It came without no warning’ said Bobbi Jo McLean

She and husband Nolen always loved to watch the rain

It sucked him out the window, he ain’t come home again

All she can remember is “It sounded like a train.’”

Another favourite, is the jangly blues of “Daddy’s Cup” a story about a boy’s love affair with racing, and the father that instilled it in him. Again, they steep the story in specific imagery that makes you feel like you’re there:

“The first one I bought was a Mustang #2

Nobody kept ‘em longer than they kept a pair of shoes

They started showing up at every used car lot in town

A V-8 on a go-cart, easy terms, no money down.”

Even though I’m a Camaro guy, it is hard not to love that many clever turns of phrase in a single quatrain.

In later years, the Truckers were driven by the talents of Cooley and Hood alone, but in the early days they were a three-headed beast, with Jason Isbell playing Harrison to their Lennon/McCartney. On “Dirty South” Isbell gets four songs, which is double what he manages on his other two Drive-By Trucker albums. My favourite of these is the last one on the record, “Goddamn Lonely Love” which captures the hurt and heartache Isbell would go on to perfect in his solo career.

Unfortunately, it is not all good news. At 14 songs and 70 minutes of music “The Dirty South” feels bloated, and I would’ve been a lot happier with 2-3 fewer songs and 10-15 minutes less time. This would increase the overall quality of the songs, and also make it easier to wrap your head around the album as a whole.

A good starting point would be to cut back the number of songs about Sherriff Buford Pusser. There are three of these, where one would do. My choice would be “Cottonseed” – it doesn’t tell the story the best, but it is the best song of the bunch.

Also, while there are some killer riffs and beautiful stories, there is also a lot of excess production. The band really embraces guitar reverb on this one and I think it cuts into my appreciation of the playing. It also muddies the melodies. I know it is deliberate, and I also know a lot of people love that about “the Dirty South” but they can sing its virtues on their own reviews; I prefer my production cleaner.

“The Dirty South” is probably the most well-known Drive-By Truckers album, giving me high expectations. The fact that I found it last of the six in my collection added to the anticipation. While it didn’t live up to the hype, it is a solid record nonetheless.

Best tracks: Where the Devil Don’t Stay, Tornadoes, Cottonseed, Daddy’s Cup, Goddamn Lonely Love

CD Odyssey Disc 1118: The Handsome Family

After a long day I’m home late and tired, but at least it was a pleasant walk in the dusk of spring. Good thing I got home while there was still some light, because this next record can make any walk in the dark a little more unnerving – that’s part of the fun!

Disc 1118 is… In the Air

Artist: The Handsome Family

Year of Release: 2001

What’s up with the Cover? Handsome Family album photos are often hilariously credited in the liner notes, but no such luck this time. As a result we’re left with a boring picture of some rolling green hills.

How I Came To Know It: This was part of my massive purchase of Handsome Family albums direct from the band about a year ago. Thanks again to Brett and Rennie for being so awesome and response to your fans!

How It Stacks Up:  I have 12 Handsome Family albums. They are all great, so do not judge “In the Air” harshly that I rank it way down at #10. It is still good, but there is just too much good stuff to pick from with this band.

Ratings: 3 stars

The Handsome Family returns to the Odyssey again, bringing with them yet more Gothic terrors, idle murders and irrational fears. The fact that I can’t get enough of these dreadful things just proves how talented the Handsome Family are at writing songs about them.

“In the Air” is just a year before “Twilight” (reviewed just two albums ago at Disc 1116) and it has a similar sound, although with even stronger ties to old school and outlaw country sounds. A lot songs sound like a cross between the boom-chuck of Johnny Cash’s guitar and the lilting melodies of Johnny Horton. The title track in particular feels like it fell right out of 1960. These are songs for driving, or – if you can’t afford a car – hopping trains. Either way, they give a great sense of momentum even as they sing about mostly troubling topics.

The album opens strong with “Don’t Be Scared,” a gentle rolling melody that delivers its message well compositionally, with a song that makes you feel rested and at ease. “Don’t Be Scared” is almost a pastoral poem, and even though I don’t usually like it when songs fade out, here it gives the experience an enduring quality; as though you’ll continue to be alright long after the song is no longer playing.

This being the Handsome Family, not being scared won’t last long and soon enough the album is rollicking along describing a terrifying fear of bridges (In the Air”), the destruction of beauty (“A Beautiful Thing”), violent alcoholism (“So Much Wine”) and more than a few murders and strange disappearances.

As ever, Brett Sparks composes and plays all the music and sings and his wife Rennie writes all the lyrics. Brett is a great player who knows how to compose a melody that is new but seems timeless, and a voice that is high and haunting. Rennie has a natural talent for telling stories, and tends to use it to tell horrifying ones. Within the first couple of lines of any song she has captured your interest and hints at the darkness that will come. “Up Falling Rock Hill” leads off with:

“Up Falling rock Hill where the leaves swoop like bats

I shot my brother William five times in the back.”

And “Lie Down” begins:

“Tuesday at dawn Michael’s glasses washed ashore

With a Styrofoam box and two broken oars.”

Or “Poor Poor Lenore,” which starts:

“Poor, poor Lenore carried off by crows

As she wandered alone where the red oaks grow.”

Basically if you’re named in a Handsome Family song, there’s a good chance things aren’t going to go well for you.

While “In the Air” isn’t my favourite Handsome Family album (I found “A Beautiful Thing’s” melody awkward – although that might have been the point – and while I liked the idea of a milkman in love with the moon (“The Sad Milkman”) I wasn’t drawn into the dreamlike tale the way I think was intended.

However, these are very minor quibbles on an album where the biggest shortcoming is not being the same level as some other Handsome Family albums. This may not be the first album I’d recommend by them but if you want more murder and mystery in your life (and who doesn’t?) by all means pick up “In the Air” and settle in to get a little unsettled.

Best tracks: Don’t Be Scared, In The Air, So Much Wine, Lie Down

CD Odyssey - the tattoo!

For a few years I've been trying to think of ways to commemorate my passion for music into a new tattoo (long time readers will know I have a few). After almost nine years and over 1,100 album reviews nothing expresses my love for music like the CD Odyssey. Also, the story of the Odysseus' long journey home to Ithaca has a ready-made storehouse of great imagery, and also expresses the importance of perseverance.

I toyed with what section of the book would make the best tattoo, but in the end I settled on Odysseus navigating his ship between Scylla (a six-headed sea monster) and Charybdis (another monster depicted as a giant whirlpool).

Here's the whole thing - I like to think it would make a pretty bitchin' mural for a seventies panel van. It also works as a back tattoo (click any of the photos below to embiggen):

On the left side of the piece, Scylla, angrily emerges to threaten the crew. In the story, Odysseus makes the difficult decision to sail a bit closer to Scylla, and she eats six of his crew. Maybe that represents the albums I've parted with along the way...

 In the middle we find the ship, oars in, bravely pushing through the hazards. There are two musical references incorporated into the ship. The one is obvious - the Blue Oyster Cult symbol on the flag. Blue Oyster Cult is one of my favourite bands of all time, and one of my earliest experiences with music. My brother has a BOC symbol on his arm as well, and this gave me a feeling of kinship with him. The other musical reference is a bit more subtle, but I'll let you spot that on your own.

And finally, Charybdis. A whirlpool could make for a pretty boring tattoo element, but my artist (Leroy from Union Tattoo) is a master at his craft and has made this look amazing, with churning, water surrounded by dangerous reefs. Charybdis also incorporates another musical element with the centre of the vortex being the centre of a speaker.

One day my journey may reach its own metaphorical Ithaca but I'm not overly worried about when or whether that will happen. In the meantime, I have a new tattoo to celebrate my love of myth, music, and the choices we make along the way.

CD Odyssey Disc 1117: Sheryl Crow

Today I completed my latest tattoo - three sessions and 11 hours later. I’m pretty knackered (I just took a two hour nap), but I love how it turned out. As always, props to Leroy Valentine at Union Tattoo. You are the best, my friend.

Hopefully tomorrow I’ll be able to finally share some photos of it. For now, I’ll share my latest thoughts on music instead.

Disc 1117 is… Tuesday Night Music Club

Artist: Sheryl Crow

Year of Release: 1993

What’s up with the Cover? Behold the toothy beauty of Sheryl Crow, partially obscured by a very unfortunate decision to throw a bunch of photo squares all over the place.

How I Came To Know It: Back in 1993 music video channels still played music videos, and a number of songs from this album were in heavy rotation. I liked what I heard so I bought the album.

How It Stacks Up:  Despite always appreciating her music over the years, I only have this one Sheryl Crow album. I used to own “C’Mon, C’Mon” (reviewed back at Dis 911) but I gave it away, which tells you all you need to know.

Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4

My first take on Sheryl Crow wasn’t a favourable one. The first video I saw was “All I Wanna Do” felt like too many styles crammed into one song, with lyrics that were a bit too clever. The nineties fashions didn’t help either. However, as the album grew in popularity and more and more singles got released I began to appreciate and better understand what she was doing.

This was not some new pop star wanting to have some vacuous fun, this was a talented vocalist and songwriter with a unique sound that draws on multiple musical traditions. Once my ear adjusted to that reality, I even came to like “All I Wanna Do”. I never came to like nineties fashion.

“Tuesday Night Music Club” starts slow, with the meandering half-sung, half-spoken “Run, Baby, Run”. Despite understanding what Crow is going for, the song still feels like it doesn’t know what it wants to be – blues, pop or folk. However, Crow has a powerhouse voice and her delivery helps find a path through the centre of the song for your ear to follow.

Then things take off, with “Leaving Las Vegas,” a song featuring a brilliant backdrop of bass line, hand claps and just the right amount of jangle on top of the mix. If you don’t want to tap your foot to this song then I feel sorry for how you hear the world.

Crow follows that toe tapper with the album’s best song, the quietly powerful “Strong Enough.” One of the “Tuesday Night Music Club’s” strengths is the paradox between Crow strong, playful and filled with groove, and other songs where she is vulnerable and introspective. “Strong Enough” is the best of the latter, and the song’s understated guitar strum makes the whole experience feel intimate and intensely private.

When the album gets funky and bothered it loses me a little. Those songs are thoughtful explorations of syncopation and style, but while Bill Bottrell’s production is sharp throughout, songs like “Solidify” feel a bit over-arranged.

However, those explorations also set the goalposts for what the record is all about, and give you an appreciation for the songs like “All I Wanna Do” working to bring it all together. Yeah it is a little all over the place, but now I could feel the groove better and while Crow’s lyrics feel a bit crowded into the bars in places, I now understood it was deliberate, not rushed. Even the lyrics started to win me over. I find that image of a bunch of people in suits washing their cars at lunch hour really appealing for reasons I can’t explain and who hasn’t reveled in the joy of “a good beer buzz early in the morning”?

The worst thing about “All I Wanna Do” (and for the record, more generally) is just how insanely popular it was, in an era where saturation of a relatively small number of albums on the airwaves was at an all-time high. In 1993 there was no Youtube and no streaming services, so if I wanted to hear music I played one of the maybe 40 CDs I owned or watched MuchMusic. In both places, “Tuesday Night Music Club” was omnipresent.

As a result, I don’t put this record on that often these days, but it has been great rediscovering it this week. This is a record that creeps up on you from multiple directions and proves that pop music can be thoughtful, and innovative and still joyful to listen to.

Best tracks: Leaving Las Vegas, Strong Enough, Can’t Cry Anymore, All I Wanna Do, I Shall Believe

CD Odyssey Disc 1116: The Handsome Family

The CD Odyssey continues with one of my favourite new (to me) bands.

Disc 1116 is… Twilight

Artist: The Handsome Family

Year of Release: 2001

What’s up with the Cover? Twilight in a decaying forest. I can’t tell if this is a painting or a picture, but there is no painting credit in the liner notes. The picture credit reads “I don’t know where any of these photos came from. I woke up in a pool of blood and there they were. – Rennie”. Never change, Handsome Family.

How I Came To Know It: I fell hard for the Handsome Family a year ago and bought all their albums in a package deal direct from the band. It was a lot of fun, and a good deal too.

How It Stacks Up:  I have 12 Handsome Family albums. Of those 12, “Twilight” is one of the better ones. I’ll rank it 4^th.

Ratings: 4 stars

“Twilight” is yet another haunting, troubled mix of metaphysical dread, supernatural experiences and offbeat observations of nature courtesy of husband and wife team Brett and Rennie Sparks. It sounds a lot like other Handsome Family albums you may have heard, which is to say, really good.

The Handsome Family have a style all their own, mixing early country and western, modern indie and elements of old school fifties pop crooners. By this stage of their career the hard rock elements are mostly gone, but don’t let that fool you – this music is the kind of edgy that sneaks up on you.

Most of that edge is generated by the combination of Brett’s haunting echoing vocals matched to Rennie’s creepy lullaby lyrics. The topics on the album run the gamut, including environmental observations, Lovecraftian meditations, ghost stories and dead animals. These are songs you’d sing to kids at bedtime if you wanted them to stay up all night, too scared to sleep, or maybe just over-stimulated by the majesty and mystery of the world around them.

As befits an album called “Twilight” there is a sense of decay and fading light that threads its way through these songs. The ladies in “The Snow White Diner” are deaf, and the man who hears angels in “Gravity” is blind. When there is sound it tends to be an unwholesome mix of nature and civilization, sighing together. Or as Brett sings at one point:

“There is a sound sung by the sea

And plastic bags caught in trees.”

Until I heard the line I’d never put those two sounds together, now my mind can’t separate them.

“A Dark Eye” captures that uneasy feeling you get from time to time that something isn’t right, that you’re being watched:

“In the parking lot where I waited alone

A white bird sat sleeping on a broken pay phone.

There came a black beetle dragging off a green fly

Underneath a parked car and then out of sight.

And I felt a dark eye turn its gaze upon me

As if the earth could see. A dark eye fell on me.”

The Handsome Family write creepy like no one else, but the confessional tones of Brett as he sings the lines makes the whole experience feel comforting, as if you are being wrapping in a blanket of weirdness. It isn’t for everyone, and it is definitely not for the easily troubled. Fans of horror though, come and listen.

“Cold, Cold, Cold” is a suspenseful ghost story. A man drives across a field where people sometimes disappear only to see a woman weeping in the frozen snow. He gets out of the car to investigate and maybe lend a hand but - this being a Handsome Family song - things get strange quick:

“She drifted away in the swirling cold

down through the fields and their frozen rows.

But I heard her howl, I heard her moan.

She called my name in the swirling snow.

When I turned to run back to my car

There was nothing waiting but her frozen arms.”

Musically, “Twilight” is less interesting than some other Handsome Family albums, but while the melodies are very basic, they rise and fall in an easy cadence. This serves as a non-intrusive backdrop to the black humour, horror and metaphysical contemplation the songs are obsessed with.

The production is also rough around the edges (according to the liner notes the album was recorded on a Macintosh G3 using Pro Tools) but none of this stands in the way of Rennie Sparks twisted insightful poetry, and Brett’s reverent and committed delivery as he converts them to song. “Twilight” is a long walk in a heavy wood but if you’re not afraid of the dark, it’s a walk worth taking.

Best tracks: The Snow White Diner, Passenger Pigeons, A Dark Eye, There Is a Sound, Gravity, Cold Cold Cold, So Long

CD Odyssey Disc 1115: Corb Lund

It’s my second album in a row released in 2012. What does it mean? Nothing at all but the brain sure loves recognizing patterns, doesn’t it?

Disc 1115 is… Cabin Fever

Artist: Corb Lund

Year of Release: 2012

What’s up with the Cover? A mountain man takes a walk in the snow. I hope he’s just going for a morning pee, because that thin shirt doesn’t look warm enough for a full day outside in the snow.

How I Came To Know It: I was already a fan of Corb Lund when this album came out, so it was just me having faith it would be good.

How It Stacks Up:  I have 8 Corb Lund albums. Of those 8, “Cabin Fever” ranks second best. Sometimes I think it could be #1, but I’m leaving space to be impressed.

Ratings: 4 stars

When I last saw Corb Lund live I was surprised at how much of the setlist was from “Cabin Fever”. However listening the album made that make a lot of sense.

For a guy with roots as a bass player in a grunge band it is impressive how truly country and western Corb Lund sounds. He’s got that Alberta twang (like the Southern U.S. but a bit more round and flat at the edges) and he is a natural storyteller.

“Cabin Fever” sees him embracing traditional western roots, with songs that amble along and melodies that mosey up and down the scales and lend themselves to singing along when you’re out riding the trail. Or so I imagine – it has been so long since I rode a horse down a trail (and I’ve done it so infrequently) I’m not sure I could even remember how.

With that in mind, it is fitting that the album begins with “Gettin’ Down on the Mountain” a song warning city folks like me that if modern society should collapse you better have skills other than music review writing. Corb notes huntin’, shootin’, and growing vegetables as three key ones. The song has a swagger that implies the narrator has low regard for those who can’t start a fire in a light wind.

There is a rock groove to “Gettin’ Down on the Mountain” and Lund once again crosses blues elements into his country style throughout the record. “Dig Gravedigger Dig” has a rock-breakin’ gritty swing that would be at home as a prison work song, and “Gothest Girl I Can” is a rockabilly celebration of girls who are:

“Thrift store vampire chic

It’s night every day of the week

Stop, stare, dead flowers in her hair

She’s the Gothest girl I can.”

Having always had a soft spot for pale skin and black bangs this song appealed to me, and its playful energy makes it all the more fun.

Lund has even more fun in a duet with Hayes Carll called “Bible on the Dash”. This song is so close to commercial Nashville country catchy I wanted to dislike it, but damn it, it was just too clever to reject. Even without the words, the electric guitar riffs that Grant Siemens loads it up with makes it fun even if Carll and Lund just sat there hummin’.

While I mostly liked the kitsch and fun on the record, Lund lost me with “Cows Around” a song about how much fun it is to…have cows around. It is just too hokey and frankly, I just don’t love having cows around. This is one of those songs that when Lund plays in concert (and he always does) I find myself looking at my watch while the rest of the crowd is smiling, clapping and singing along.

When Lund switches over to western themes, he makes you revel in the tale even though after multiple listens you already know how each one ends. The best on this album is “Pour ‘Em Kinda Strong” a song about a gunman on the run dipping temporarily into a bar. Lund tells the story in the words of the gunman speaking to the barkeep, and does a masterful job of catching a nuanced character in the lyrics and delivery. The gunman is polite but insistent, with a menace underneath and a willingness to do violence.

The record shows a lot of range, and Lund is at his best when he gets mournful and introspective. “September” is a song about someone begging their lover to stay a little longer. The song features a romantic mid-tempo guitar strum, some sweet steel guitar work, and mournful high singing where Lund shows surprising range.

Lund is a master of cadence and rhyme, using them to deliver punch lines at the end of every stanza.  On “One Left in the Chamber” he tells the story of a man on the brink:

“There the one I left unfinished, there’s the one I can’t explain

There’s the one in Colorado, the one I wished I had again

There’s the one I broke too easy, there’s the one I couldn’t break

There’s the one I too much of, there’s all the shit I couldn’t take

There’s the one I shoulda walked away from and come right home to you

And the one left in the chamber oughta do.”

Lund uses a series of alternating concepts to underscore that sometimes life just pushes when it needs to pull, and zigs when you need it to zag. Then after he lulls you into a gentle sway of regret, he drops that short line at the end to underscore the finality of what’s about to happen. Good tragedy employs punch lines too – they just aren’t funny.

So often great artists have all their success early and then have a long trail of playing old favourites at shows for decades to come, mixed in with a couple of new ones to keep themselves interested. “Cabin Fever” proves that almost 15 years into Corb Lund’s career it isn’t too late to deliver a classic.

Best tracks: Gettin’ Down on the Mountain, Bible on the Dash, September, The Gothest Girl I Can, One Left in the Chamber, Pour ‘Em Kinda Strong

CD Odyssey Disc 1114: Brandi Carlile

Sometimes the randomness gives me an album I’ve owned for decades and sometimes it gives me something I just bought. It was the latter this time, which is why I took so long getting to reviewing it – I had to get to know it first.

Disc 1114 is… Bear Creek

Artist: Brandi Carlile

Year of Release: 2012

What’s up with the Cover? A pretty little creek that reminds of British Columbia’s interior. It’s been a while since I’ve been there but the beauty sticks with you, even if this particular Bear Creek is somewhere else.

How I Came To Know It: I read a review of Brandi Carlile’s most recent album, “By the Way, I Forgive You” and then I heard a few songs a liked them. This led me down the back path through her previous albums, many of which I liked. “Bear Creek” was one of those.

How It Stacks Up:  I have no idea. I went a little nuts after discovering Brandi Carlile and bought four of her albums in the space of a week. I’ve been busy since then and I’ve only listened to the other three once or twice, making comparisons difficult. I guess I’ll just act like a figure skating judge watching the first flight of skaters and say “Bear Creek” is third or fourth best, because it gives me maximum wiggle room. Sure it lands the triple Salchow, but how do I know if other Brandi Carlile albums will land it better?

Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4

In writing, the specific is terrific. This is one of the reasons I love folk music so much; it tells a story and grounds that story in tangible sights, sounds, smells and memories. In pop music – particularly the mass-produced kind – the opposite is often true. Songs are grounded in very generic concepts of love, loneliness or joy designed to reach a maximum audience by essentially leaving the details vague, and letting the listener insert their own. I prefer the folk approach.

“Bear Creek” falls somewhere in between. Sometimes Carlile’s narratives drew me into her world, and other times I was left wishing there were more details. Having a record full of catchy melodies and Carlile’s powerhouse vocals made up for a lot, but not for everything.

Carlile’s voice sounds like a cross between Patty Griffin and Bonnie Raitt; big and bold with a bit of rasp around the edges. There are even times (such as on “That Wasn’t Me”) that she channels a bit of Adele, with a low power and anthemic delivery.

Carlile always sounds pitch perfect and she has an honest delivery that draws you in and makes you believe. She’s backed up by twins Phil and Tim Hanseroth, and like Carlile, they are both multi-instrumentalists. At this point the band is so new to me that I don’t know who is playing guitar, piano or anything else at any given moment, but it is played with excellence so I’m happy.

The arrangement knows just when to drop in strings, piano and banjo and the production is crisp and clear with great sound separation. For this kind of music the production is almost too crisp, and at times the polish gets in the way of the spit, particularly on the sadder stuff. This is partly the purity of Carlile’s voice, which makes everything seem a bit clearer than usual. Vocalists that let their voice trail off at the end of lines or mumble their way through sections because they mistakenly believe it emotes better could learn a lot here.

The pop influences are strong, and upbeat little love songs like “Heart’s Content” could be radio hits if, you know, radio was fair to people who put songwriting above stardom. That’s OK with Carlile, who also works in good old fashioned foot-stomping indie folk. “Hard Way Home” tells yet another version of taking the path less travelled. Funny how many songs there are about taking an uncommon path…In the case of “Hard Way Home” the upbeat rhythm makes it clear Carlile is not only at peace with her decision, but sees it as cause for celebration. There are even gospel and blues hints, particularly on “Raise Hell” a great song for driving if you want to drive fast.

You’ll note that I didn’t quote any lyrics in this review, and that speaks a bit to my disappointment with the amount of specificity there. The most specific song is “Keep Your Heart Young” where Carlile channels Guy Clark’s ‘aw-shucks, remember when we were kids’ thing. Unfortunately I found the song a bit hackneyed. Also, one of the way Carlile advocates keeping your heart young is to put a rock in the middle of a snowball which is just not OK. That wouldn’t fly in Canada, Brandi.

I discovered Brandi Clark only two weeks ago and I was a bit nervous that I wouldn’t know her well enough to do the record justice. Now that I’ve had a few days with “Bear Creek” I’m glad the Dice Gods gave me this doorway into her sound, and I’m looking forward to exploring more of her catalogue soon.

Best tracks: Hard Way Home, Raise Hell, Save Part of Yourself, What Did I Ever Come Here For?, In the Morrow

CD Odyssey Disc 1113: Pearl Jam

I had an unexpected extra day with this album, but fortunately all it did was make me appreciate it more.

Disc 1113 is… Riot Act

Artist: Pearl Jam

Year of Release: 2002

What’s up with the Cover? The King and Queen of the Ash Heap hold court. The King really ought to give up smoking – he’s looking awful thin.

How I Came To Know It: I saw the video for “I Am Mine” and I thought it was a good song. Since this was in the days before Youtube I then took a leap of faith the rest of the album would also be good.

How It Stacks Up:  I have 11 Pearl Jam albums and Riot Act is one of my favourites. I’ll put it in at…fourth.

Ratings: 4 stars

I’ll always remember “Riot Act” as the album that reinvigorated my interest in Pearl Jam after having forgotten them for many years. Whether it was having enough separation from their early career, just being ready to return to this style of music or some excellence intrinsic in the record itself, “Riot Act” brought me back to Pearl Jam and I’ve never left since.

This personal connection to the album could make it difficult to see it objectively, but I think enough time has passed (15 years) that I can once again appreciate the record on its own merits.

There is a lot to appreciate. “Riot Act” is a sonic soup, layering instruments and production on top of each other like the musical equivalent of plaid, sometimes appearing stark, sometimes saturated with multiple influences and sometimes being something between the two.

In short, the album is a sonic smorgasbord, with songs that are quiet and introspective, songs that are walls of sound and mid-range traditional rock songs, all grounded in Pearl Jam’s frantic style and Eddie Vedder’s powerful rock vibrato.

I overplayed this album when I first bought it and on my first listen it felt a bit overly eager and unfocused, but midway through I found my feet, inspired by the album doing the same. It is an album that you have to surrender yourself to in order to fully appreciate it. Or as Vedder sings on “Cropduster”:

“Everyone is practicing,
But this world's an accident.
I was the fool because I thought

I thought the world
Turns out the world thought me.”

Or in other words, if you think you’re the center of the universe, you’re not – and that’s OK.

The song that grabbed me most – and brought me back into the Pearl Jam fold to stay – is “I Am Mine.” This is a song that is an existential anthem, with Vedder half-singing, half-preaching as he drops a lyrical sermon on top of the heavy reverb of Stone Gossard’s atmospheric guitar. The lyrics speak to my existential soul, the lines:

“I know I was born and I know that I'll die

The in between is mine

I am mine”

Are the most self-affirming stuff since Vedder belted out “I’m still alive” on the band’s debut record over ten years earlier.

Immediately following “I Am Mine” we are gifted the other side of Vedder. On “Thumbing My Way” he is the doubting soul who seems lost and yet imbued with a supernal instinct to find just the right ride to catch to get himself right. “Thumbing My Way” still has a fair bit of resonance and production, but the band keeps the arrangement stark and simple, letting the combination of frailty and self-assurance soak in. This is a song that tells you it is OK to not feel certain, but still feel comfortable in that uncertainty.

Even tracks with less direction, like the one minute tribal chant that is “Arc” work because Vedder fully commits himself to the moment. It isn’t the greatest moment on the album, but it is delivered with enough honesty that it adds nuance to the experience as a whole.

There are moments I wanted to be better. “Love Boat Captain” had a beautiful rising song construction that should be better, but falls short on some of Vedder’s lyrics. He is a raw poet by nature, but sometimes can be too clever by half. Fortunately the tune is so powerful, that it is easy to overlook and besides, who doesn’t love a song that appeals to our better natures and calls for a better understanding of love.

At 15 songs and 54 minutes the album is a smidge too long but there is nothing so terrible that it ruins it and plenty of good stuff along the way to buoy the experience.

“Riot Act” is an album from a band that is comfortable in their own skin, willing to explore a bit in finding themselves all the while knowing that as Buckaroo Bonsai once said, “Wherever you go……there you are.”

Best tracks: Cropduster, I Am Mine, Thumbing My Way, You Are, Green Disease, All or None

CD Odyssey Disc 1112: The Wailin Jennys

Greetings, gentle readers! This next entry is a double shot! The first half is a review of the latest Wailin’ Jennys album, and below that – bonus coverage – a review of them live in concert.

Disc 1112 is… Fifteen

Artist: The Wailin’ Jennys

Year of Release: 2017

What’s up with the Cover? It’s the ancient art of palmistry, just like you might find it on the back of the curtain in some mystic’s stall at the psychic fair. Look closely and you’ll see that the various lines in the hand are named after the various songs on the album.

You’ll also note that this poor unfortunate’s ring finger is separated at the knuckle. I’m not sure what this portends for their future, but I expect it will affect their ability to throw a Frisbee.

How I Came To Know It: I am a fan going back to their humble beginnings – well, not quite, but close. This was just me buying their latest album.

How It Stacks Up:  I have four Wailin’ Jennys albums. “Fifteen” is one of them but because it is a bunch of covers, I’m not sure if it should stack up against their regular albums. Let’s see what I did with other artists.

[leaves off writing and does some research].

OK, I’m back, armed with a couple examples of common law. Way back at Disc 28, I reviewed a Steve Earle album of Townes Van Zandt covers, determined it was a “best of” and didn’t rank it. More recently at Disc 1103 I reviewed a Whitehorse album of various covers called “The Road to Massey Hall” and decided I should stack it up. I must therefore conclude…I can do whatever suits me. That was always the case, of course.

I will stack this one up. I’ll rank it 3^rd or 4^th, depending on my mood.  

Ratings: 4 stars

If there are prettier harmonies out there, or an artist who understands better how to employ them than the Wailin’ Jennys none come to mind. Fifteen is celebration of the band having been around for that many years, the whole while pushing that talent to the very limit. Once again, they come up aces.

I marinated in this album for several days as I prepared for their concert at the Alix Goolden Hall. When I started I thought it was pretty enough, but it didn’t grab me the way I’d hoped it would. That changed over multiple listens, as the album slowly revealed its subtle grace.

The Jennys have an amazing ability to blend their voices, and have a great sense for when to hold the harmonies tight and when to loosen them up. Sometimes they sing in perfect lock-step, and sometimes they come in and out, or sing in rounds. Whatever best reveals the song’s beauty.

On “Fifteen” they eschew original songs for covers by other artists, and I was a bit disappointed. I look forward to the various ways the Jennys push contemporary folk music, and it has been seven years since they released their last collection of original work.

While “Fifteen” didn’t push their writing limits, it did push their talents as arrangers. Not everything on the album is incredibly innovative, but they do enough to make each song their own.

The album opens with the traditional “Old Churchyard”. It is a solemn and uplifting devotional, and the Jennys wisely play it straight, playing a cappella save for a single atmospheric note in the background of what I think is…a violin? I couldn’t be sure, but I liked the resonance it gave the song.

The album’s two best entries are covers of Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers” and Paul Simon’s “Loves Me Like a Rock”. On “Wildflowers” Ruth Moody plays the melody on the banjo, drawing out the brilliance of Petty’s writing even more than the guitar strum on the original manages. All the women sound exceptional, with Moody’s high folksy and sweet soprano providing the anchor and some pretty violin from her brother Richard.

On “Loves Me Like a Rock” they eschew instruments for a bit of clapping, finger snapping and foot stomping, maintaining the bluesy swing of the original while putting a folk spin on it. It works equally well and I hope Paul Simon has had the pleasure of hearing his words come to life in a new and wonderful way.

On both tracks it helps to have three singers so incredibly talented you can strip the production and arrangements right back and not fear you’re going to expose any shortcomings. These gals can sing.

The only disappointment I had (and it was minor) was the cover of Emmylou Harris’ “Boulder to Birmingham”. There is nothing wrong with the cover, and if I’d never heard the original I’d be enthralled. It is just that the quavering hurt in Emmylou’s original performance is hard to replace and the purity of the Jenny’s version takes away a bit of the hurt the song needs. In folk-country music covering Emmylou is like pop singers taking on Whitney; even when you succeed, it can seem like you fall short.

This is a minor quibble over an album that is a beautiful homage to some great music. I enjoyed hearing every song reimagined and I enjoyed having the joy of new Jennys recordings in my life after such a long hiatus.

Best tracks: Old Churchyard, Wildflowers, Light of a Clear Morning, Loves Me Like a Rock

The Concert: March 2, 2018 at the Alix Goolden Hall, Victoria BC

I was more than a little excited to see the Wailin’ Jennys having not seen them for 12 years (the last time I saw them was in the same venue on September 8, 2006).

At the 2006 show we arrived late and the only seats available were off to the side of the stage behind a large column, so I spent the show craning my neck to the left and the right to get a good view. This time, we arrived early and stood in the cold to ensure we were able to get our favourite seats. I could tell you where those are, but I’d have to kill you.

Fifteen years have done no harm to the Jennys voices and they filled the amazing acoustics of the Alix Goolden Hall (a converted church) with joy and glory. They take an honest delight in performing, and all of the incredible harmonies I mentioned earlier in my album review were on full display.

There was no opening act and the Jennys played two sets of about 60 minutes each. They mixed in material from across their career, playing old favourites like “One Voice” and “Beautiful Dawn” alongside covers from their latest record. In the end they played seven of the nine songs off the new album which is only right – if you go to live shows wanting to hear only early stuff you are going to shows for the wrong reason.

Highlights of the show were many. “Boulder to Birmingham” was much better live and even though I thought Ruth Moody’s banjo was a bit too low in the mix on Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers” it was still amazing. “Wildflowers” was played not that long after the cover of Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me In Your Heart” and I found myself choking up thinking about how both artists were taken from us too soon.

The Jennys have an easy carefree manner on stage, mixing in just the right amount of friendly banter with the music. Some of the stories are no doubt rehearsed numbers, but they deliver them like it’s the first time which is all you can ask. Many others were clearly off the cuff, with Moody even exclaiming “that was real!” after Nicky Mehta gushed about the book selection at Value Village.

Their personalities shine through whether they are storytelling or performing. Masse has an irrepressible joy, and I often noted her breaking into wide grins at the sheer pleasure of making music. Mehta was the comedienne, with well-timed and self-deprecating humour. Moody is the heart of the band, wearing her emotions on her sleeve she choked up twice – once when she introduced her mom and once when she talked about the birth of her son. I admit I preferred the mom moment.

Hearing them live it was easier to pick out their singing styles as well. Soprana Ruth Moody has a contemporary folk style, her vocals clear and high, Mehta sings in the middle and has an alternative country style that grounds the music and gives it a modern edge. Masse is an alto with obvious jazz influences. She also has the most incredible range of all of them, holding down the lowest end of every harmony but also soaring up the scales to punctuate a song with angelic high notes.  

There were two male Jennys as well. Ruth Moody’s brother Richard played a haunting style on the violin that gave some songs a Leonard Cohen feel, and Adam Dobres played electric guitar when things needed a modern splash. I’d last seen Dobres playing in Outlaw Social when they opened for the Jennys back in 2006. I loved his playing back then and he was just as amazing this time.

The audience was generally well behaved and respectful, cheering between songs and staying quiet during them. A woman in front of me had her phone go off at a bad time, but she was suitably mortified so I forgave her. Another woman bobbed her head side to side and out of time for most of the show, which was weird but at least she was having a good time.

The show ended strangely, when the Jennys got a case of the giggles. They end every concert with an a cappella version of the old Irish standard “The Parting Glass”. Unfortunately right before that happened Moody had a visit from her baby on stage and I think it broke her concentration. Every time they started to sing she’d start to giggle. They got over it by singing some children’s song called “Baby Beluga” which I had never heard before, and don’t care to hear again. It was made slightly more bearable by whale sound effects added in by Heather Masse who I am pretty sure makes for an awesome and hilarious aunt.

Mehta didn’t take part in the children’s song. As she noted, “these two were raised on Raffi, but I was raised on Elton John and neglect.” I feel you, Nicky – I was raised on Johnny Cash and poverty. No time for Raffi, and if I’d had the time I’d have spent it in my brother’s room listening to Blue Oyster Cult instead.

Anyway, with the giggles expunged, the Jennys got back to the front of the stage, gave us “The Parting Glass” with their usual grace and were gone, two hours of music later but still managing to leave us wanting more.