The Truckers are one of those old school bands who have “paid their dues” as we used to say back in the 70’s. They’ve played their way up shouting, balling and drinking through small dives full of drunken spotty youths through bars, clubs, sports halls and arenas. I’m willing to bet that they are still a little too rough and ready to make that leap into stadiums but I’d doubt that they would ever want to.
“English Oceans” is their 10th studio album and, along with their two live albums, represents a solid body of excellent rambunctious catalogue that should be in every rock fans collections. They’ve had a floating cast of members that now runs to over twenty rock n roll travellers and includes the great Jason Isbell (who, last year, released one of the best albums of the year in “Southeastern”) and Jason’s ex-wife Shonna Tucker who has just released her own solo record ‘Eye Candy’ and is a YouTube hit with a cookery show (I kid you not – here she is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ4WB2GIRxE). The bands two stalwarts are Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood who can now boast 16 years of life with the Drive-By Truckers who are, without doubt, one of Americas finest roots bands.
After a quiet period this album sees Mike Cooley roaring back to full power with six great songs on the album with Patterson taking the other seven in this bluesy, jagged, guitar soaked set. All of the Truckers albums are peppered with various boozers, losers, heroes, heroines and junkies and this album is, of course, no different with tales of Walter who sets his house on fire in ‘When Walter Went Crazy’ after the “rattlesnake in his eyes, blended whiskey in his face and murder in his heart” when he just snapped. Then there’s ‘Pauline Hawkins’ who really has wandered out of Willy Vlautin’s (of Richmond Fontaine) new novel, “The Free”, and is lost in Patterson’s song lamenting that “Love is like cancer” with a lovely coda reminiscent of Clapton’s masterpiece “Layla”.
The opening song “Shit Shots Count” is very reminiscent of the Stones during their “Exile” period – but, what the hell, they were at their wonderful best then so why not? It’s a Mike Cooley song and is soaked in honking brass as Cooley tells a winging work mate that the boss “Is not as smart as he likes to think he is but as not as dumb as you think”. It’s a fine starter and sets the tone for an excellent record that is more satisfying than the last couple of Truckers albums which, in truth, were more memorable than much of what else was around at the time. Hood and Cooley’s guitars wail with fine short stabbing solo’s that don’t over stay their welcome. The brass lifts the song and gives it more weight with an obvious fuller sound.
Patterson’s “When He’s Gone” tangles with feelings of loss and confusion in a long term relationship that’s heading for the rocks – more tales of real life “she can’t stand to have him around but she always misses him when he’s gone” – oh, for a simple life – but not here! Coley is right back at you in “Primer Coat” with a sad tale of a broken down man who “graduated in 84, quit drinking in ‘92” and drifted through life in a sad daze after that.
One of the two real stand-out tracks is ‘The Part of Him’ that has a pretty tune with a lovely guitar figure to introduce it but the lyric is a bitter tale about a total waster who ‘never worked an honest day’ who was ‘a total jerk who’s own mother called him an SOB’. It highlights the bands knack of giving their characters real life traits that anyone can relate to. Patterson is especially adept at this and frequently talks at live shows about his mom (the song ‘18 Wheels of Love”, a real rock n roll love story from “The Fine Line”, is well worth hearing – here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM8zRjl2uLU)
‘Hanging On’ begins with some spooky spectral piano and a lightly strummed acoustic guitar with Patterson articulating another sad tale of loss and isolation where ‘a voice tries to tell you its not right – but hang on’. Cooley is back with the lurching drunken piano roll of ‘Natural Light’ and is reminiscent of Giant Sand at their sand-blasted best as Cooley languishes in country hell with some spikey Green-On-Red-like guitar as the song ends.
Rounding the album off is, the second real stand-out, Patterson’s ‘Grand Canyon’ which has a rolling magisterial guitar figure which is a fitting tribute to a friend, Craig Lieske – a member of the bands road crew who’s death in January 2013 inspired the album in the first place. Patterson sings movingly of watching the light fade and the colours change during a visit to Grand Canyon as he ruminates on the meaning of death and life and how he will ‘lift my glass and smile’ to honour his lost compadre. It’s a fine song and destined to be on my end of year compilation.
This is yet another superlative offering from what is America’s best “southern” band that will no doubt be sitting high in the best of the year stakes in December and I’m sure that many of these superb songs will take there place in the band’s set on their short UK tour in May – but, sadly, no North-East show.
Words: Greg Johnson
No comments:
Post a Comment