09.26.07
White Muckled waiting (bands to go see, part two, Jason Isbell)
Mucklewain somehow managed to creep up on me way faster than I expected. Seriously, September, where did you go? Didn’t you just start? Though, well played, September, for bringing me Lucero and Cory Branan shows both at the beginning and the end of the month.
I hear people talking about Mucklewain ’round these parts, and the usual refrain is, “OH! You were there?!?” Yeah, buddy, and why weren’t you? I mean, sure it’s hard for some people to get to Tennessee, but those of you already here or nearby have no excuse! Tons of great bands, good times laying in the grass, a chance to stand with Daisy while she watches Mimi and I make asses out of ourselves.
Jason Isbell – Sirens of the Ditch
I’m sure most of the people reading this know Jason Isbell. [I didn’t.--Mimi] His stint with the Drive-By Truckers made him famous to a southern alt.country audience. I like this album, which surprised me a little, since I don’t like DBT. I don’t hate them, just musically they don’t do anything for me. [Little too Skynyrd.--Mimi] Plenty of people have explained to me that this’s a personality flaw I have, but all the same, I can’t help it, they just don’t resonate. Jason solo does. I love the album title, even– bits of mythology tied to every day things always make happy. Like the Pirates of the Cumberland. Or uh, something else. [That might be a bit too much of an inside joke.--Mimi] Anyway, the idea of mythological, crazy-hot chicks that could lure you into the ditch (as opposed to the rocky shore) seems perfectly logical to me. [I think a 12 pack of Miller High Life’s a safer bet.--Mimi]
“Dress Blues” is the stand out track for me. Y’all know I love a good patriotic song done right, and this one is. It’s sad song about a soldier dying. I understand it’s based on a real friend of Isbell’s. This hits close to home for all of us; it seems everyone has friend or family over fighting in the war(s). We don’t want to see any of them buried in their dress uniforms. The lyrics are a perfect lament, reflecting the loss of a friend and community member. The lyrics touch the most important part of war–the void left when we send our loved ones off and they die. Musically, the song flows twangy and slow in a way that buoys the melancholy of the lyrics.
There’s a weird paralysis described in “Shotgun Wedding” that makes me think of all the things I wish I could do but am afraid to. The ideas that make me freeze and take a deep breath before I venture to even try. Of course, in this case the singer is trying to talk to a girl, I assume, pregnant out of wedlock, whom he loves and wants to make an honest woman. Which is a lovely sentiment. [Really? Hm.--Mimi] Especially for all the single mothers I know who worry about ever finding that kind of romantic love again. [The term shotgun wedding always makes me think of that old Georgia Satellites video.--Mimi]
The album title (that I like so much) comes from a line in “Grown,”: “Last night I heard the Siren’s song and I followed it in the ditch.” The song doesn’t, however, carry on a theme of mythology in the everyday. Instead, it’s a love song of sorts to someone from long ago who changed Isbell’s life. It’s hard to say if it’s specifically romantic, but the concept carries well since I think every single one of us has someone in our past who really showed us who we were in a way that helped us transition into adulthood. [Here you’re assuming everyone has transitioned into adulthood. I would beg to differ.--Mimi] The songwriting here is especially effective, I think, because of the deeply personal nature of the song that’s still very broadly relatable.
[You didn’t even mention the song I actually liked here, “Hurricanes and Hand Grenades.” It’s a bluesy tune (the music of it is definitely a blues song, the chords and percussion, but his voice is so country it sounds like what it is—a southern rock guy singing a blues song.) I think most people who read this blog are suckers for this sort of chord progression under confessionally emo lyrics. It’s the typical relationship-gone-bad tale of whoa, but it sounds sweet.--Mimi]
Overall, I’m impressed with Isbell’s song writing and performance here. I have to confess though, that although I very much like this album while listening to it, it doesn’t stick with me. I don’t think of the songs until they pop up on my iPod. I am, oddly, because of this, stupidly excited to see Jason Isbell at Mucklewain. I think the intelligence and personality lying under his lyrics will surface on stage. Yeah, that’s right I got big expectations.
You know where this going, right? Say! Y’all should come on down to Pinewood, TN with us over the weekend and see Jason! Then we can talk about whether he did in fact put on the show I expect. Don’t like Jason? Well, you may not have heard, but there’s like a whole mess of bands playing that weekend outside Nashville. Bring a tent! Camp! See music and drink beer. What more fun could you imagine in these last few days of Indian Summer? Well, okay, we HCT girls will do without the camping, but the rest will be fun. You shouldn’t miss it.
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