Sunday, April 10, 2011

`PILGRIM ROAD` AN EPIC ROLLERCOASTER OF CONTEMPORARY ALTERNATIVE AMERICANA

This is one lost treasure where i am really feeling my way writing about
it, because i still dont know how to classify just what sort of music it
is. I got to admit, i pinched the `americana` description off the front
sleeve sticker, all i do know with a little help from Wikipedia is that
WILLARD GRANT CONSPIRACY is an alternative country and americana
band which was formed in 1995 by Robert Fischer and Paul Austin in Bos-
ton, Massachusetts, with Fischer ever the only permanent member. Seems
like a good idea, have any one of 30 people join your band amicably at
any time and leave at any time, like being on the Willard Grant roster.
Talk about a supergroup, from an artistic point of view it is somewhat
ingenius to have a band where people come and go as they like, nothing
like new blood with new ideas to stop a band from going stale. I have
listened to the album from 2008 called PILGRIM ROAD a couple of times,
but i haven`t listened to any of their other material. PILGRIM ROAD is
really diffrent, quite unlike any other sound i have heard, this album
anyway doesn`t sound like alternative country to me, obviously WILLARD
GRANT CONSPIRACY dabble in various styles of folk and country, what is
very pronounced on the album is a glorious soundtrack of classic piano
music, with only a couple of tracks overtly folk orientated. Intermingle-
ed amongst the epic piano and reedy blues tinged folk is the unmista-
kable deep gravelled bass voice of Fischer, along with flushes of viola,
violin, trumpet, vibraphonette, trombone, cello, double bass and quite
a few other rarities, as well as lush harmonies from a choir going by
the name of the Pilgrim Choir, which makes total sense. Some compari-
sons have been made to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, an old flame of
mine should like hearing that, but i cant compare the two because i
have never listened to Nick Cave properly in my whole life. Robert
Fischer`s voice is probaly morbidly stark and eery like Cave`s is,
and you`d have to say PILGRIM ROAD from a mood point of view
isn`t exactly brimming with pop-like panache. It`s a very self in-
dulgent affair which is completely lacking in any songs that have
any commercial `single` appeal, something the Bad Seeds revel
in. My favourite songs on the album, simply based on the quality of
the production, are `Miracle on 8th Street`, `Lost Hours`, `Painter
Blue` and `The Pugalist`. The album is not uplifting, i`d say it is
depressing if anything, the lyrics are very abstract and the music
is as far away as you could get from three verse big chorus rockers.
Fischer almost talks his way through some of the verses, like Randy
Newman except he`s completely lacking in rhythm and blues dynamics.
Nonetheless, PILGRIM ROAD has two things going for it - immaculate
and crystal clear production as well as musicians backing Fischer
who are experts at playing their instruments. I wont say i love it,
it is a very incongruous enigmatic recording, but it sounds great.

No comments:

Post a Comment