The weather has finally warmed up and I took my convertible roof down and drove home from work in the early evening sun. It was downright therapeutic.
Disc 1465 is…. Agricultural Tragic
Artist: Corb Lund
Year of Release: 2020
What’s up with the Cover? A man and his horse have a moment of alarm. Whatever is happening, it looks awkward for both of them.
How I Came To Know It: Just me buying the latest Corb Lund and hoping for the best.
How It Stacks Up: I have nine Corb Lund records. Of those, I put “Agricultural Tragic” in at #9. Hey, someone’s gotta be last.
Ratings: 3 stars
“Agricultural Tragic” is proof you can have too much of a good thing. All the things that make Corb Lund so good – his clever lyrics, old school Country and Western sound and good ole boy “home on the range” persona has made for some amazing records over the past twenty-five years. Much of what makes him so good is present on this record as well, and there is plenty to recommend it as a worthy entry in his canon.
However, despite my burning desire for Corb to one day read my blog and invite me out for beers and whiskey, there are moments on “Agricultural Tragic” where he crosses that subtle, invisible line into kitsch and caricature. The album is still good, but I’d be lying if I didn’t note it is a slight step down.
The record starts strong. “90 Seconds of Your Time” is the most musically interesting song on the record, displaying Lund’s talent for swaying in the pocket of a catchy melody, dropping lyrics that are jaunty on the surface, with painful subjects lurking just underneath. In this case, we have an Army Ranger living in the hills stealing livestock, as he struggles to adjust to civilian life.
In a similar vein, “Louis L’Amour” hearkens back to the days when old westerns had the heroes in white hats, and the villains in black hats, while reflecting on the more complicated problems of the modern age. The problems of urban decay and drug abuse are well presented in the song’s final stanza, and an example of what makes Lund so good at what he does.
The record is Lund’s kitschiest, and a lot of the songs are the kind that are most fun the first time you hear them, when the jokes are new. I found these songs worked best in proportion to how much I liked the topics. “Rat Patrol” uses a rockabilly beat to immortalize Alberta’s famed accomplishment of being one of only a handful of places on the planet that are rat free. Yes, there are no rats in Alberta. Zero. Look it up.
“Tattoo Blues” is a mostly spoken word list of the many errors that can happen when a tattoo goes wrong. Many a fine line in here, including: “My tattoos are blue, I got the tattoos blues/But hey, I got no regerts.” As someone who has long considered a “no rugrats” tattoo this one gave me an extra chuckle.
And the best tune on the album, is “Grizzly Bear Blues” which made me think of Stephen Herrero’s excellent book “Bear Attacks: Their Cause and Avoidance,” which is a comprehensive exploration of its topic that should absolutely NOT be read before you go camping. Best line from Lund’s tune:
“Should I run or should I stand? It’s an old debate
'cause sometimes it’s a bluff charge, and then sometimes it ain’t.
Can they run downhill? Can they climb a tree?
Maybe that’s just black bears, I can’t remember, hmmm let’s see.”
Great stuff. Where I grew up you only ran into black bears, although it did happen often. I'd sometimes miss the school bus waiting for them to wander off the road so I could pass.
However, while these songs are solid, there are times when the rhymes feel tacked on rather than fun. Also, many of the songs have a heavy literalism that could benefit from a well-placed metaphor or stronger emotional underpinning. Finally, the songs can sometimes feel like one-dimensional delivery systems for Lund’s storytelling compared to other work, where the song structure has a bigger role in setting the mood.
It is worth noting, however, that my least favourite of nine Corb Lund albums still warrants 3 stars. While I wouldn’t start here if you are just beginning to explore his body of work, “Agricultural Tragic” is still a good record in its own right.
Best tracks: 90 Seconds of Your Time, Grizzly Bear Blues, Louis L’Amour, Rat Patrol
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