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Originally appeared in issue:
13 |
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| String Band | RATING:
(5 logos is max rating) |
| 2002 - 3rd Silo Records - CD | |
Wilco,
the Old 97s and other leaders of the much hyped alt-country movement have
abandoned their revolution for a more diverse range of sounds. Their departure
opens the door for a country-tinged rock band with clever storytelling.Ohio's Len's Lounge fits the bill. The five members play darkly organic country rock that evokes as much Carter Family as Flying Burrito Brothers. The band has been together since 1992 but mainly as a solo project of lead singer and songwriter Jeff Robertson. He wisely brings a few friends on board for this release. As the title suggests, much of the album is nothing but strings -- an acoustic guitar, a couple of mandolins and a big, thumping double bass. However, the band also borrows drummer Dave Morrison from Cincinnati's Ass Ponys, notably on "Tennessee By Moonlight," where he adds a rolling military beat to a Civil War story. The album opens with "Soul Sucker," a biting rocker with a melody almost stolen from Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" and sarcastic lyrics that belong on those lists of country lines endlessly forwarded on the Internet. Robertson drawls "You make me laugh and cry with your toothless flirtation." However, he can also write earnest love songs, such as his evocative ode to "Miranda," in which he sings "She's out chasing butterflies in the pale blue skies and that's alright with me cause I know soon she'll see she's the one for me." His lyrics are consistently entertaining and thoughtful. Not every songwriter would drop "sublime" into a danceable number called "SimpleSong." The low point of the album is "Green," the first song written and sung by Annie Winslow. Although she has a beautifully sad voice, the song comes off as generic country pop worthy of heavy rotation on TNN. However, Winslow redeems herself with two classically lonesome bluegrass ballads later on the album. "Time Can't Take Away" is a forlorn love song for a dead husband. "I never knew my love was only a memory that time can't take away," she sings, sounding like a sad Allison Krauss. In lyrics and music, "String Band" mines the rich traditions of the Midwest and the Southeast for a comforting set of acoustic love and loss. Check out Len’s Lounge |
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| Steven Graham | |
