Everlasting the Way - long-stretch-motorcycle-hymn-highway
(Monitor)
For those prepping for the next sitting of the SAT or GRE, here is a quick
relationship pair question to complete,
Brokeback : Tortoise :: ? : June of 44
- Him
- The Boom
- Jeff Mueller
- Everlasting the Way
Well, if the header for this review didn't already tip you off, the answer
is actually d) Everlasting the Way. Similar to Brokeback, Sean Meadows
released a single as his first solo release that wasn't anything more than
10 minutes of straight solo guitar (in Brokeback's case 2 singles and
solo 6-string bass). Not horrible music, but not exactly engaging either.
For his first solo full length, Meadows has surrounded himself with enough
guest musicians to scare away his cats, causing them to flee to the bedroom to
hide under the bed. Gee, that sounds familiar. Similar to Brokeback, the
guest musicians greatly improve the music, rounding out the songs while still
allowing the songs' heart and soul to stay with the main performer.
As with most solo albums, there is a lot of experimentation on the album,
and many styles are presented. "From Solar Exodus (Sunburst)" sounds
like a more ambient version of Bubble & Scrape-era Sebadoh (with more
abstract lyrics). "Once the Ocean Floor" lets ocean waves wash over a
drum & bass groove that changes tempo with each stanza.
"Crown the Day" is a duet between Fred Erskine's trumpet and Meadows'
guitar and has the best use of guitar on the album, possibly the closest
match on the album to anything he did with June of 44. "Bastimentos By Dug
Out" is like a fresh summer breeze, almost pop with its uptempo guitar melody
backed with bass.
Also like most solo albums, some of this experimentation doesn't really work
or wasn't fully developed into songs, and there are a few songs on the album
that qualify as filler. Regardless, there are a handful of really nice songs,
and anyone calling themselves a June of 44 fan should pick it up. More casual
listeners may want to give it a listen first.
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