This year there have been meagre pickings. A bit of a mixed bag in the form of 'High Hopes' from Bruce Springsteen and that has been just about it. Granted I haven't yet gotten round to listening to the latest works by Beck, Seth Lakeman or St. Vincent but reviews of those have not really filled me with enthusiasm.
Consequently I have welcomed with open arms, the latest from the Drive-By Truckers, the results of their first studio sessions for four years.
The writing and singing credits on 'English Oceans' are shared fairly evenly between Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley, resulting in what sounds to me like a more varied album than either 'The Big To-Do' or 'Go-Go Boots'. Both of those albums were the result of their previous studio visits back in 2009 and each featured only three Cooley compositions.
Hooked up once again with long time producer David Barbe, they have come up with an album that sounds a little more basic than the two previous releases. Recorded over thirteen days last August, it gives me the impression that the band had fully formed songs ready and knew exactly what they wanted to achieve in the studio. Once again they have delivered the goods (have they ever released a bad disc?) with songs covering political subjects, parenthood, mortality and lost friends. There is also the intriguingly titled 'Pauline Hawkins' which I learn was written by Hood from the point of view of one of the characters in the recently released novel, 'The Free' by Willy Vlautin who of course fronts his own excellent band, Richmond Fontaine.
It's a great rocking, catchy record with the usual lyrical storytelling and at the present time, is the main (nay, only) contender for album of the year.
Thank goodness for the 'Truckers'.
No comments:
Post a Comment