It took a while, but at last we have my first review of an album released in 2025. This was going to happen at some point, as I’ve purchased 23 albums released this year already, and I’ve got a further 25 on my wish list. More will come – this is the nature of my affliction.
Disc 1832 is…Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams
Artist: Patterson Hood
Year of Release: 2025
What’s up with the Cover? Sometimes a cover is a burly handsome man in a ruffled shirt (see previous Tom Jones entry). Sometimes it is a lovely pastoral scene. Sometimes it is…this. Art is not always styled for comfort, readers.
With that bit of philosophy out of the way, let’s explore the wonders of this artfully crafted murder scene. The actual title of this Frances Thrasher painting is “Headache”. That’s pretty self-explanatory but if I were naming it, I’d call it “Gogo Yubari wins the fight” and it’s what would’ve happened to the Bride in Kill Bill if she hadn’t fortuitously found a board with a nail in it.
How I Came To Know It: I’m a long-time fan of the Drive-By Truckers, and one of the principal members of that band is Mr. Patterson Hood. As a result when he released a solo album, I decided to give it a try.
How It Stacks Up: Hood has done a few solo albums over the years, but this is the only one I have, so I can’t stack it up. Maybe I’ll get more in the future.
Ratings: 3 stars
Some voices just lend themselves to storytelling, and Patterson Hood is blessed with just such a voice. Some storyteller vocals are gravelly baritones – think Johnny Cash or John Moreland – but Hood’s talent comes in a high quaver, and poetic phrasing. He reminded me strongly of Hold Steady lead singer Craig Finn’s solo work. Like Finn, Hood has a formula as well and so the songs all sound similar in their construction. Since they all sound good, you don’t mind so much.
“Exploding Trees & Airplane Schemes” is a tight little collection of ten stories, largely based on characters and experiences from Hood’s early life. While this information (gleaned from Hood’s own words in the liner notes) tells you the characters are primarily founded in real experience, it doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that Hood knows how to ensure there is internal truth to each narrative, and to give these characters their due in a way that brings them to life for the listener.
If you’re already familiar with Hood’s songs in the Drive-By Truckers, then these songs will sound very similar. Melodic and rhythmic structures are the same, with songs that lilt along before they alight at the end of every stanza like a songbird on a slender branch, delicate and beautiful. You don’t have to love paying attention to a song’s lyrics to enjoy a record like this, but it helps. A lot.
The best song on the record is “A Werewolf and a Girl”, a duet with Lydia Loveless. Longtime readers will know I’m a big fan of Lydia Loveless’ solo work (three reviews so far, and more to come) and her work here with Hood reinforced how much I like her. The song is about Hood’s first girlfriend and does a pretty incredible job of describing the awkward vulnerability of young love.
Loveless is at her finest here, with her rich and scratchy tone juxtaposing nicely against the airy uncertainty of Hood’s verses. For two middle aged musicians, they do a bang up job of recalling the ardour of youth.
Also powerful was “Miss Coldiron’s Oldsmobile” the song of an old recluse with mental health issues. You get the impression that Miss Coldiron is both blessed with those willing to help her, and others just as willing to take advantage of her. Under Hood’s exceptional guidance you get a strong sense of just who she is, inside and out, and willing to root for her not despite her complex mix of light and dark, but because of it.
The record ends with “Pinocchio”, an exploration of life and experience through the prism of the story of the same name. It’s a pretty song that’ll have you thinking hard about its ultimate premise, delivered succinctly in the song’s last line: “Deep inside of every man is a real live boy.”
I did not love all the decisions Hood makes with the arrangement and production, although most of my criticism on this front is both light (didn’t bother me that much) and well-worn (my long-standing bias towards a light touch on production – add too many bells and whistles, and you’ll often lose me).
Also, there is a gap in quality between the album’s best songs – the ones I’ve noted above – and a lot of others that have great turns of phrase, but not always delivering the full-frontal emotional assault I expect from Patterson Hood when he’s at his best.
Overall, not a great record, but a good record, and more enjoyable on multiple listens, which is always a good sign.
Best tracks: A Werewolf and a Girl, Miss Coldiron’s Oldsmobile, Pinocchio
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