Bradley Hathaway's newest release, How Long, is a wonderful blend of melancholy and joy, sound and lyric, and a must-listen.
How Long
From opening track to closing, this work has no difficulty holding the listener's ear; between the fusion of folk and blues sounds and the heartfelt introspection in the lyrics there is so much complexity that each listen feels new, and yet familiar.
Throughout, it feels like a dream or half forgotten memory, like a recollection of a life once lived; it is an introspective work, meditating on a past both difficult and happy, with both joy and mourning for the good times, now gone. While it feels like a description of one life, each song is the ballad of a different person's search for comfort in this mess of a world.
Evoking both moods of searching restlessness and deep comfort, this record may be the most satisfying musical work I've heard this year.
One listen to the title track, and I will be surprised if you are not motivated to hear the rest.
How Long is available on Tuesday, November 5, and can be pre-ordered on Bradley Hathaway's Bandcamp page, and you can see what else he's up to on Facebook.
During a conversation about local art, music, and culinary culture, I was asked, "Do you want to stay in Bismarck?" "Yes. Why?"
"I just feel like you'd be happier somewhere else; somewhere with a more vibrant art culture, and more of the things you really enjoy."
While discussing coffee, I was asked, "Where are you from?" "Here. But I lived in North Carolina for three years." "You seem like you're from a big city."
While these discussions are not new, and are as a matter of fact fairly frequent, these two were very close together, and forced me to put a part of my mission to words.
Why am I here? Why don't I go to a major metropolis, where there's a vibrant art community, great local music scene, and tight nit coffee community already in place? Why don't I move to Seattle, or Portland, or Minneapolis, or New York City, or Atlanta, or Charlotte, or Raleigh/Durham, Chicago, or even Fargo or Grand Forks and fulfill my dreams of being a coffee professional/writer/artist/photographer/designer or any combination of these?
Think about this: Why isn't the art community as vibrant in Bismarck? Because everyone who has the dreams I do has done exactly that – left. North Dakota, even Bismarck has so many people who love the things I do, and want the culture I want, but they give up and leave or resign themselves to the idea that there will never be any class, culture, or industry (besides farming) in Bismarck. Those who leave have come to the conclusion that there is no hope for this town and go somewhere the culture is already established (ironically, they then have to do less work).
Think of another thing: How did the culture you seek get established in the places we all expect it? People like you, people like me, founding it. They didn't leave when they didn't find what they wanted, they made it happen where they were.
Here's my mission (at least part of it): I want to be a part of the establishment of the art culture in Bismarck. I want to help the people who are actively pouring the foundation for the structure of our art community. I want to build the coffee community I seek. I choose to stay here because I'm not satisfied letting someone else put in the effort while I reap the benefits of their labour of love. I want to labour in the things I love. I want someone else to reap the fruits of my labour. I want to offer something to the people who love this city as much as I do. I've been told it's a pipe-dream, a utopian fantasy that can never be made real, but I've seen it elsewhere, because someone had a passion and made it real. Why leave when I can make it happen?
Think about that for a minute. Where are you now? Are you satisfied? Are you ready to leave at your first opportunity because your community doesn't offer what you desire? How about this: you offer your community something. You shape the community. You have the creativity and passion to do it, and I guarantee there are others; find them.
This year, what are most likely my three favourite folk bands each released a new album, two of which have been added to my favourite albums of all time.
Carry Me Back by Old Crow Medicine Show
Carry Me Back is Old Crow's fourth full length album, and their first in four years, since the release of Tennessee Pusher.
I was introduced to their music with O.C.M.S. only a few years ago, and the raw, unrefined bluegrass energy and excitement, and the pride in their own heritage and the heritage of our nation made me fall in love. The love continued with the palpable passion of Big Iron World, and they became one of my favourite artists in any genre. Sadly, when I bought Tennessee Pusher, I was disappointed that the energy seemed to have dissipated; the music was played with skill, and the songs were well composed, but the passion was missing, and with some refinement the exuberance faded – that's not to say that the music became melancholy; their first albums were brilliantly balanced between joy and sorrow. Carry Me Back has the most refined sound of all of their releases, and yet, the palpable passion, the obvious joy and enjoyment of their craft, the intimacy, and the raw bluegrass are as present as at the first. Carry Me Back is a wonderful example of the perfect melding of old-fashion art, and modern process. I want to learn the banjo.
Babel by Mumford & Sons Babel is a good record, but it's not great.
Sigh No More was an extremely powerful record in so many ways: the music was raw and untamed, imaginative, vibrant; the lyrics were beautifully written, and hard hitting and relatable; it was perfectly constructed, each song having its own flavour, yet being cohesive and united – it was an instant classic, received by a massive audience, many of whom didn't know they had any like for folk music.
So what happened?
I know, most of you are about to close this page and grumble about some stupid hipster who only likes obscure music at the expense of quality – but hear me out. Sigh No More was untamed and passionate, but Babel feels restrained. The lyrics are still beautiful, still relatable, and the music is still played skillfully, but there's something missing; it feels like they were trying to duplicate the success of their first album – something they could easily have done, had they only filled a disc with incoherent noise – which they did, simply because of the fan-base built with Sigh No More. The title-track, "Babel," is a powerful introduction, and the lead single, "I Will Wait" was a good choice as such, and "Lovers Eyes" begins with beautiful, subdued harmony, but fades into almost the same chord progression as the first half of the album.
All that being said, "Lover of the Light," "Hopeless Wanderer," "Broken Crown," and "Not With Haste" are brilliant tracks, demonstrating the same passion and imagination shown in their first album, and their rendition of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer" is a captivating cover (the not near as much so as the original).
I'm sure that I will gradually fall in love with this album, as I have with others, but my first impressions are that it is restrained music attempting to convey unrestrained joy and sorrow. Please don't hate me. The Carpenter By The Avett Brothers
The Avett Brothers' I and Love and You was a huge hit, but it was not an instant classic for me, as Emotionalism, Mignonette,and the Gleam EP & Second Gleam were; in fact, it took me more than two years for me to fall in love with it. There were select tracks that I actually disliked for a long time ("Kick Drum Heart,""Tin Man," "Slight Figure of Speech," and "It Goes On and On"). But The Carpenter... now that's an entirely different story.
There is not a song, not a verse, not a lyric, not a note on this record I do not love. They have managed to perfectly combine the magic of Emotionalism with the mainstream refinement of I and Love and You without sacrificing any of the passion of their earlier music. "The Once and Future Carpenter" is a perfect opener, and "Live and Die" follows it perfectly. "Through My Prayers" literally makes my eyes well-up with tears (but that's because I have a personal connection with the lyrics). I honestly do not think The Avett Brothers have written a better, more cohesive, or more beautiful album. The Carpenter is absolute perfection. Forgive my gushing fanboy nature.
