The Album Review Club - Week #144 - (page 1893) - XO - Elliot Smith
- Thread starter RobMCFC
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threespires
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It's Walt Whitman and it's not O Captain but beyond that I'm going to have to watch the scene on yt!
RobMCFC
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RobMCFC
Well-Known Member
Correct. Song of Myself.
The quote has "barbaric" and "rooftops" in it.
The first graphic in the band name clue represents "sounds like".
threespires
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RobMCFC
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Correct, well done.
I did say last week that this was going to be a tough one to get, which is why I was initially reluctant to give clues.
There is, but didnt think it would be it
RobMCFC
Well-Known Member
The Album Review Club
American Man – The Yawpers (2015)
Selected by RobMCFC
Introduction
I’m hoping that my latest choice will be seen as something a little different. Whilst there are elements that can certainly be viewed as a “typical Rob choice”, there’s a lot to it that is definitely not in this category – there’s a punk edginess to the music, a lot of angst in the lyrics and even some shouty vocals.
The sound of this album is simply superb. It’s dynamic, edgy, ferocious in parts and really gets to you in several ways: it gets your feet moving, your fist pumping, and in places, hits you right in the gut. Some of the sonics on display here are an absolute riot. That’s not something I’ve read by the way, I’ve simply tried to write some stream-of-consciousness thoughts that describe what I’m hearing and how I feel about it.
The Yawpers
Most of the following does not relate directly to the album under review, but in the grand tradition of this thread, I think that it’s important in understanding where the themes and sound of the music comes from.
The name of the band comes from a line in the Walt Whitman poem, Song of Myself:-
I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.
I’m not a big fan of poetry, but I do recognise the quote from its use in the film Dead Poet’s Society. Being one of my favourite films, I think this is what grabbed my attention when I looked for the artist after “Doing It Right” had finished auto-playing on Spotify.
The Yawpers are a 3-piece band based in Denver, and the yawping comes from vocalist/songwriter Nate Cook, who is a fascinating character.
For more context, let’s jump to their third album, Boy in a Well (produced by The Replacements’ Tommy Stinson). This is a concept album: set in World War I, it tells the harrowing tale of a troubled boy thrown down a well, who escapes to rape and murder his mother before killing himself. Nice. Musically, I just can’t connect with this one, but you’ve got to admire the originality. I mention this album first because the lyrics are Cook’s way of addressing a series of childhood sexual assaults he experienced at the hands of an older man. When you understand his background, you can understand that all that angst and self-loathing in the lyrics comes from the heart (unlike Thom Yorke!)
Nate Cook describes himself as a drug addict and an alcoholic. In an interview around the time American Man was released, he talks of sitting around at home when he’s not on tour, drinking himself to death. He’s not a picture of health, yet during and immediately after the pandemic, he took on some epic charity cycling challenges and a new-look, slimmed-down man emerged.
The band seems to have a revolving cast of drummers, but guitarist Jesse Parmet has been with Nate Cook for over 10 years. Parmet provides most of the epic guitar sounds for a trio that doesn’t feature a bass player and mostly makes their sound via amplified acoustic guitars.
The album under review is American Man – sometimes labelled as their debut, it was actually their first album for Bloodshot records in 2015, having previously released Capon Crusade in 2012.
Their most recent effort is 2019’s “Human Question”, which makes some new music long overdue.
The Album
Produced by Cracker’s Johnny Hickman, American Man is probably my favourite album from the last 10 years – it’s certainly the one I’ve played the most.
The first half of the album has some excellent songs: “Doing it Right” borrows the riff from T-Rex’s “20th Century Boy” and mixes it with a Nirvana quiet-loud, quiet-loud approach that kicks off the album in style. Much like Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. title track, the song “American Man” could be mistaken for jingoistic chest-thumping. But the lyrics tell a different story:-
“Living my life with my head in the sand/ Praise the Lord, I’m an American Man.”
“Burdens” covers the same ground as “Born To Run” – a 17-year-old who wants to leave town while he’s young enough to run. There’s some really nice guitar work on the introduction here and it’s probably the closest they come to a pop song.
“Tied” works up an ominous atmosphere with its bass drum and guitar work and whilst “Deacon Brodie” is probably my least favourite on the album, it still works . It’s mostly noisy and you wonder where the guitar is going next.
“Faith and Good Judgement” feels a bit of a let-down after what has come before, but overall, The Yawpers have shown us they mean business on side one.
And most of the best stuff is still to come on an extraordinary side two.
“9 to 5” is most definitely not the Dolly Parton classic – a quiet start gives way to more pyrotechnics. I love the lyric “But no one’s going to come save you when you’re strung out in Wichita”. I’ve no idea what it means, but it sounds great the way Nate sings it.
“Walter” – the guitar sonics that open this song are so funky that you can see why they don’t need a bass player. A real oddball of a song that has become one of my favourites on the album.
Based on the album credits, “Beale Street” is the only track to feature a guest musician – a fiddle player – as The Yawpers go all Dropkick Murphys.
“Kiss It” is clearly about addiction, and by this stage, I’m getting addicted to the incredible sound that these guys are getting out of those two acoustics – Simon and Garfunkel it ain’t! “But it’s left you in destruction / And you’re never coming out / It’s got its fingers in your stomach / Stuffing you with doubt.” Wow, some powerful imagery there.
“3 A.M.” took it’s time to really hit the spot with me, but it’s now one of my favourites. A slow build which leads to an anthemic chorus. An absolute barnstormer of a song.
Just in case the album doesn’t have enough power and pace for you (unlikely), things are rounded off with “The Desert”.
Final Thoughts
It’s all up there, I don’t need to say anymore. Except if you like what you hear, just go and watch some of their live performances on YouTube. They must be absolutely incredible to see live.
In addition to the “Doing it Right” performance, I’d recommend the full Audiotree session.
Enjoy.
American Man – The Yawpers (2015)
Selected by RobMCFC
Introduction
I’m hoping that my latest choice will be seen as something a little different. Whilst there are elements that can certainly be viewed as a “typical Rob choice”, there’s a lot to it that is definitely not in this category – there’s a punk edginess to the music, a lot of angst in the lyrics and even some shouty vocals.
The sound of this album is simply superb. It’s dynamic, edgy, ferocious in parts and really gets to you in several ways: it gets your feet moving, your fist pumping, and in places, hits you right in the gut. Some of the sonics on display here are an absolute riot. That’s not something I’ve read by the way, I’ve simply tried to write some stream-of-consciousness thoughts that describe what I’m hearing and how I feel about it.
The Yawpers
Most of the following does not relate directly to the album under review, but in the grand tradition of this thread, I think that it’s important in understanding where the themes and sound of the music comes from.
The name of the band comes from a line in the Walt Whitman poem, Song of Myself:-
I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.
I’m not a big fan of poetry, but I do recognise the quote from its use in the film Dead Poet’s Society. Being one of my favourite films, I think this is what grabbed my attention when I looked for the artist after “Doing It Right” had finished auto-playing on Spotify.
The Yawpers are a 3-piece band based in Denver, and the yawping comes from vocalist/songwriter Nate Cook, who is a fascinating character.
For more context, let’s jump to their third album, Boy in a Well (produced by The Replacements’ Tommy Stinson). This is a concept album: set in World War I, it tells the harrowing tale of a troubled boy thrown down a well, who escapes to rape and murder his mother before killing himself. Nice. Musically, I just can’t connect with this one, but you’ve got to admire the originality. I mention this album first because the lyrics are Cook’s way of addressing a series of childhood sexual assaults he experienced at the hands of an older man. When you understand his background, you can understand that all that angst and self-loathing in the lyrics comes from the heart (unlike Thom Yorke!)
Nate Cook describes himself as a drug addict and an alcoholic. In an interview around the time American Man was released, he talks of sitting around at home when he’s not on tour, drinking himself to death. He’s not a picture of health, yet during and immediately after the pandemic, he took on some epic charity cycling challenges and a new-look, slimmed-down man emerged.
The band seems to have a revolving cast of drummers, but guitarist Jesse Parmet has been with Nate Cook for over 10 years. Parmet provides most of the epic guitar sounds for a trio that doesn’t feature a bass player and mostly makes their sound via amplified acoustic guitars.
The album under review is American Man – sometimes labelled as their debut, it was actually their first album for Bloodshot records in 2015, having previously released Capon Crusade in 2012.
Their most recent effort is 2019’s “Human Question”, which makes some new music long overdue.
The Album
Produced by Cracker’s Johnny Hickman, American Man is probably my favourite album from the last 10 years – it’s certainly the one I’ve played the most.
The first half of the album has some excellent songs: “Doing it Right” borrows the riff from T-Rex’s “20th Century Boy” and mixes it with a Nirvana quiet-loud, quiet-loud approach that kicks off the album in style. Much like Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. title track, the song “American Man” could be mistaken for jingoistic chest-thumping. But the lyrics tell a different story:-
“Living my life with my head in the sand/ Praise the Lord, I’m an American Man.”
“Burdens” covers the same ground as “Born To Run” – a 17-year-old who wants to leave town while he’s young enough to run. There’s some really nice guitar work on the introduction here and it’s probably the closest they come to a pop song.
“Tied” works up an ominous atmosphere with its bass drum and guitar work and whilst “Deacon Brodie” is probably my least favourite on the album, it still works . It’s mostly noisy and you wonder where the guitar is going next.
“Faith and Good Judgement” feels a bit of a let-down after what has come before, but overall, The Yawpers have shown us they mean business on side one.
And most of the best stuff is still to come on an extraordinary side two.
“9 to 5” is most definitely not the Dolly Parton classic – a quiet start gives way to more pyrotechnics. I love the lyric “But no one’s going to come save you when you’re strung out in Wichita”. I’ve no idea what it means, but it sounds great the way Nate sings it.
“Walter” – the guitar sonics that open this song are so funky that you can see why they don’t need a bass player. A real oddball of a song that has become one of my favourites on the album.
Based on the album credits, “Beale Street” is the only track to feature a guest musician – a fiddle player – as The Yawpers go all Dropkick Murphys.
“Kiss It” is clearly about addiction, and by this stage, I’m getting addicted to the incredible sound that these guys are getting out of those two acoustics – Simon and Garfunkel it ain’t! “But it’s left you in destruction / And you’re never coming out / It’s got its fingers in your stomach / Stuffing you with doubt.” Wow, some powerful imagery there.
“3 A.M.” took it’s time to really hit the spot with me, but it’s now one of my favourites. A slow build which leads to an anthemic chorus. An absolute barnstormer of a song.
Just in case the album doesn’t have enough power and pace for you (unlikely), things are rounded off with “The Desert”.
Final Thoughts
It’s all up there, I don’t need to say anymore. Except if you like what you hear, just go and watch some of their live performances on YouTube. They must be absolutely incredible to see live.
In addition to the “Doing it Right” performance, I’d recommend the full Audiotree session.
Enjoy.
RobMCFC
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I suppose there's a bit of fun in seeing people gradually make progress on the clues.