While no one could classify his singing voice as conventionally melodious, Chris Wollard’s raspy evocations carry a lot of warm tones beneath the gruff exterior. On this album, he tends to sound a little hollow, tonally, and he frequently sounds detached from the musical surroundings. It was a little off putting at first, just because I’m accustomed to hearing a little more energy in his voice; like with his vocal parts in Hot Water Music or The Draft. After the initial shock wore off, I eased into this new style comfortably; in many ways it reminds me of some of the alternative rock I enjoyed in the early nineties.
First and foremost, I was pleased to see that this project wasn’t just going to be another Rumbleseat or a reimagining of The Blacktop Cadence; this is something altogether new from Wollard. I’m a huge fan of both of those bands, but I didn’t want this to be a hardcore country album or a hardcore indie album; I wanted some just a little different. But I guess not too different because this is a perfect combination of both. If you just want to hear some rock music, Wollard and his band of thieves deliver.
Sure, there’s a shit-ton of folk influence on this record; but when you build such a solid foundation with acoustic guitar, that fact is completely inescapable. Surrounding these stripped down instrumentations are dense layers of atmospheric sounds that are constantly swirling and pulsating; giving the whole album a spacey feel. This is far from your typical ‘punk guy throwing on a plaid shirt and embracing his country roots’ album, the kind that makes up about 95% of the solo albums that you’ve heard from punk artists in the past several years.
If you’re familiar with Chris Wollard- and if you’re reading anything on this site, it’s pretty much a given that you are- you probably don’t need me to tell you that this is good. Like sunsets and kittens and the smell of a freshly powdered baby it’s just subconsciously and aesthetically pleasing. The whole thing started off a bit rocky for me, but I completely came around within a few days, and now I couldn’t even tell you why it rubbed me the wrong way in the first place. You need to discover this for yourself.
