Here are the simple tests I apply to pretty much every piece of music I spotlight: How’s it sound in the car when I’m barreling down the highway? Stuck in traffic? Running errands? Too, does it hold my attention when I’m in the den? Perhaps most important of all, when the album ends, do I want to play it again?
All the Right Weaknesses, the sophomore set from Brown Horse, aces each one. The six-piece band, which has been spotlighted in such magazines as Mojo and Uncut, is part country, part folk, and part rock (both alt. and not). Although they hail from Norfolk in the East of England, discerning listeners will detect plenty of Virginia strands—plus, at times, a distinct prairie wind. Which is to say, some of the road-tested tracks—which were recorded live in the studio—echo Neil Young with both Crazy Horse and the Stray Gators, while others conjure the Band, Little Feat, Uncle Tupelo and Lucinda Williams, as well as ‘70s-styled southern rock.
The LP opens with the guitar-heavy “Verna Bloom,” a taut track about how a loved one’s death lingers with us for the rest of our lives. “Wisteria Vine” softens just a tad, with Phoebe Troup’s harmonies providing a supple bed for Patrick Turner’s gruff lead vocals. “Corduroy Couch,” released as a single a while back, finds Turner and Troup singing about the ocean of time and how it consistently erodes the beach we call the present. “Dog Rose” is a slice of alternative-rock nirvana, just about, while the title track—which sports a Dylanesque vibe—celebrates the late bloomers who walk among us.
“Holy Smokes” integrates a bit of a jig into the proceedings, while “Radio Free Bolinas” explores the sameness that accents touring life. “Tombland” ups the country quotient just a tad—and quotes from June Carter’s “Ring of Fire.” “Curse” attempts to smooth out a friendship’s wrinkles, while the low-key “Wipers” is melancholy personified. “Far Off Places,” the album closer, opens with Turner’s fiddle before giving way to a humorous ode about—you guessed it—life on the road.
What’s remarkable is the thematic consistency that runs through the 11 tracks, which were workshopped on and off stage during a European tour in support of their debut outing, Reservoir. The LP jacket credits five of the band’s six members with writing the lyrics for the specific songs, while the band itself is credited with the music on the LP’s label, which tells me they came together to support one another’s visions. These are evocative songs about life writ large and small, and sure to hit home with most everyone who gives them a listen.
The Old Grey Cat 