Recap

It was a Mississippi summer for Nathan Martin. Hot downtown streets, tree outlined country roads, and quiet corner cubicles conquered my days as I worked for a statewide newspaper and experienced just about every personality and disorder of the Deep South. Music plays into this introverted recollection in the sense that location often frames musical moods and four albums dominated the long hours I spent contributing to our nation’s dependency upon foreign oil. So this is part of my summer- in music.



When I heard the first single from Ryan Adams new album Easy Tiger, the perennially hyper-emotional songwriter was wearing a suit, sitting on a stool and singing into an old-school microphone, being backed by a band that looked more at home on the Grand Ole Opry than a smoke stained rock club. The visuals were symptomatic of the album, as Adams delivers an easy listening album worthy of any lounge club crooner. With the exception of profanity laced Halloweenhead, Easy Tiger sounds like something which could fit perfectly on any Lawrence Welk/Johnny Carson musical revue- in the best sense possible. Somehow in the post-antebellum, poverty stricken, church laced, and revitalization desperate nature of central Mississippi- the smooth folk-rock of Ryan Adams fits absolutely perfectly. Adams has always been a talented songwriter, gifted with an absolutely gorgeous voice, but in Easy Tiger he manages to harness both of those talents, painting focused musical portraits which tell powerful stories while avoiding the meandering vagueness of thought and structure plaguing many of his other releases.



But it wasn’t all smooth driving and slow days this summer, and when I was looking for a story as disjointed as the American South- I went to The Hold Steady. Having already fallen in love with The Hold Steady’s latest release, Boys and Girls in America, I crawled backwards and discovered their previous release, Separation Sunday. Lead singer Craig Finn has a way of writing songs that feel like the latest installment of film noir audio, rather than a show stopping single, and it’s hard not to get sucked into the ongoing story. I’d have to be high out of my mind to think that Finn was on any level a talented singer, but when he starts telling the stories of Hallelujah, (the kids called her holly/ and if she scared you then she’s sorry), you feel like this modern day musical Kerouac’s got his finger on the pulse of something pretty powerful. With guitar riffs ripped straight from the pages of old-school rock and roll, The Hold Steady combine a never-ending story of sin, redemption and too many long nights, with hooks that never let go after swallowed. The Hold Steady’s hitting the 9:30 Club with Art Brut in November and if I can keep my eyes open and my papers turned in- I’ll be singing with Finn on the front row.



The Polyphonic Spree never lets you feel awkward singing along with their music. Part of that is because they write catchy upbeat songs that always manage to leave a smile on your face, but it’s mostly because the band is comprised of over twenty members- you’re just one more vocalist. With their 2007 release The Fragile Army, the Polyphonic Spree has released a vision of a musical utopia that stretches across any political viewpoint or ideological differences and centers upon creating a world where everyone can be friends and loves each other. I don’t even think that lead singer Tim Delaughter believes that such a world could really be created, but in the face of how politics are handled every day- a little dreaming doesn’t seem so far out of place. Surrounding yourself with news from all levels of the world tends to lead one to approach life with just a tad of cynicism towards the intelligence and motivations of our leaders and culture- The Fragile Army allowed me a point of escape helping me cope with even the forty millionth story on Paris Hilton. The energy and optimism of The Fragile Army, which musically is anything but perfect, is matched only by the stage presence of this group. Imagine a raucous kaleidoscope peace party where 26 singers/musicians/dancers lead the entire room in a joyous two hour long celebration culminating in a confetti strewn cover of Nirvana’s Lithium- Yes, it was that good.



As surprising as it might be, a Christian artist actually provided a strong soundtrack for much of my summer. I know there’s a few of you out there who question the spiritual state of my musical selections, but doubter rest easy- Dustin Kensrue is here to save Christian music from itself. In the self-congratulating world of CCM, there are few artist who could actually be classified as anything more than glorified corporate worship leaders for Jesus Inc. That’s why it comes as little surprise that the best Christian music I’ve heard in a long time, comes from an artist not on the Dove/Myrrh/Frankincense record label. Kensrue’s Please Come Home provides traditional folk-rock music that will never strays too far away from Truth. He manages to write soulful ballads that explicitly incorporate Christian trials and struggles, without sounding preachy or forced. In the Bible Belt of Mississippi, Kensrue’s thoughts rang especially true, and I found a musician who always led me skillfully back to the hope in Christ. A rarity to be sure, but Kensrue’s been practicing this art for awhile, just as the lead singer for post-hardcore rock band Thrice, and not as a harmonica wielding crooner.