The periodic table, a.k.a. the periodic table of the elements, is an ordered arrangement of the chemical elements into rows (periods) and columns (groups). Ordered, structured and precise in every aspect. Sometimes I wish there was a table for gothic country. One of the reasons to why I started this website was that I thought I could bring some order to the chaos. How naive. To classify you need agreed and accepted standards. Objective criteria and norms refer to independent, measurable, and verifiable standards used to make fair, consistent decisions or evaluations, uninfluenced by personal emotions, biases, or subjective opinions. There are no agreed and accepted standards in the genre. Only, to a greater or lesser extent, substantiated opinions. The task to bring some order to the genre is insurmountable. For example, trying to decompose the genre into trunk, branch, twig and leaf isn't easy. Which is the main genre and which is the subgenre? Exactly when, how and why does gothic country turn into gothic americana? How do you distinguish Southern Gothic from other Gothic traditions? I could go on. My contribution is the geographical origin as the basis of classification. Sounds fail-safe, but how do classify a band like The Devil Makes Three who started out in Vermont (Northeast), but moved and are now based in Californa (West). I made it simple and chose "first" origin. There is (was) a site called Every Noise at Once, check it out here (opens in a new window). The site is an algorithmically-generated, readability-adjusted scatter-plot of the musical genre-space, based on data tracked and analyzed for genre-shaped distinctions at Spotify. The guy who ran it lost his job at Spotify and eventually his access to their data. But even before that the site came up with some pretty wild and crazy ideas of artists and bands belonging to different genres/subgenres. Such important tasks cannot be left to machines. Humans beat machine. Every time.  

Mr Plow is working on a new album called "At One With Nature". The album title seems to be inspired by Rousseau’s natural state (the hypothetical, pre-societal condition where humans are isolated, innocent, and driven by self-preservation and pity, rather than reason or malice). Mr Plow explains in an e-mail: "The working title for the new record is "At One With Nature". Twelve tracks in total. It's going to be released on vinyl (and download/streaming). Probably late summer this year. On Monkey Basket Records (a small indie label in the East Midlands). The album title relates to a number of the songs (six I think) and their focus on nature (mountains, wildlife). It wasn't planned that way, just a happy accident. The guitars are louder and more aggressive than we've ever had before, but the songs are the same dark, disastrous fun they've always been." You can get a glimpse of the upcoming album at Bandcamp. A melodic single called "Flowers" has been released as a free download. It has all the desirable Mr Plow trademarks including the deep and dark vocals. And yes, the guitars are louder and more aggressive.

       

The end has come for Slim Cessna's Auto Club. It came as no surprise. Nothing lasts forever. Even the longest, the most glittering reign must come to an end someday. In the words of the founder on his Facebook page: "Dear SCAC Friends and Family, Thank you for your patience. I have needed much time to think and process before going public about what has been going on with the band. I needed to be still. I have made the decision to end this particular season of Slim Cessna’s Auto Club. SCAC may come back as a new character some day, but for now I’m enjoying a more peaceful time with my beautiful wife, María. Changes in my life, faith, and family responsibilities lead to unfortunate friction in this band. It’s best for us to say goodbye. Please know that I am at peace, I’m relieved, and I’m excited for the future. María and I will continue to write and perform together. We are not making any attempt to emulate SCAC in any way. We are simply making music together - enjoying and discovering what that looks like in the process. We are not in a hurry. We are moving forward at our own pace as we also care for my elderly parents during the extreme winter of our remote Colorado home. "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Mark 8:36. Our fans have always been the true SCAC family. You have been so very faithful. It has been a blessing and a privilege to perform for you. You have allowed me to be myself and also lose myself in front of you. Thank you for joining me in that experience. I’m thankful for the countless hours spent in John Rumley’s garage as we built something lasting and incredible. I’m thankful for 26 years of good hard work with Dwight and Munly. Mostly, I’m thankful I had the opportunity to play our music with my son George. What a long ass run SCAC has had - full of highs and lows. In the end it has been a blessing for me. 33 years of SCAC in order of appearance: Slim Cessna, Frank Hauser Jr, Bradley Norlander, Jon Killough, Caleb Roberts, Glenn Taylor, Whiff Cessna, John Rumley, Danny Pants Grandbois, Lord Dwight Pentacost, Munly Munly, Merle Carey, Ordy Garrison, Judith Ann Winters, Reverend Glasseye, Malcolm Travis, Tim Maher, Shane Trost, Gregory Garcia, Bob Ferbrache, Chadzilla Johnson, Todd ‘The Peeler’ Moore, Rebecca Vera, Ian O’Dougherty, Andrew Warner, George Cessna. SCAC 101. Much love to everyone, Slim Cessna." And so it ends, not with a bang, but a whimper.

Those Poor Bastards are back with a new album. "Howdy Creeps, We've finished a new record called "Black Tongue". This album is unadorned, unpolished and ugly. We've stripped everything back to the infected bone, and left the untreated wound to fester. The shackles of modern recording fidelity have been cast aside and the mystery of busted and broken music has emerged triumphant." As always, there's something for everyone. You can pre-order the album on limited edition vinyl (115 purple w/silver splatter, 100 gold swirl, 100 red, 11 transition colors, 8 black), cassette (50 copies) and CD. What can we expect? Those Poor Bastards are known for good consistent quality, but their last three albums have been a hit and miss. From the product declaration on Bandcamp: "Black Tongue is Those Poor Bastards at their most scorched-earth, mud-caked, and downright broken. Lonesome Wyatt and The Minister peel back every last layer of polish until only the rust and rot remain. The instrumentation is sparse and uneasy. It crackles with warped tape hiss, creaking boards, and the ghost-hum of bad wiring. The songs feel unearthed rather than written, like cursed field recordings found in a burned-out shack at the edge of nowhere. Things haven't sounded this bad in years." If the album is half as good as the copywriting then we have something to look forward to.

       

Emmylou Harris is a legendary country-rock and Americana artist. Thirty years ago she moved away from her traditional acoustic sound and collaborated with producer Daniel Lanois and engineer Mark Howard. The result (Wrecking Ball) received almost universal acclaim. The album contains twelve songs, placed in perfect order. The album opens with “Where Will I Be,” written by Lanois, where Harris asks herself: "Oh where oh where will I be / Oh where oh when that trumpets sounds". An obvious reference to the Bible. The drums and guitars are exquisite. The second song is "Goodbye" written by Steve Earle. Usually, Steve Earle says nothing to me about my life, but I must give him credit for this dark and doom-laden song. At least, for Harris interpretation of it. The third song is "All My Tears", written by Julie Miller. Harris version is more powerful and dynamic than the original. "It don't matter / Where you bury me / I'll be home and I'll be free / It don't matter where I lay / All my tears be washed away". The fourth song is "Wrecking Ball" written by Neil Young. The grumpy old man sings in the chorus. Perfect arrangement with a lot of emotions and nuances. The fifth song is "Goin' Back to Harlan" written by Anna McGarrigle. Harris version supersedes the original, which is quite an achievement considering the McGarrigle quality. The sixth song is "Deeper Well" written by David Olney and Daniel Lanois. This is one of the darkest and heaviest songs on the album. "Well, I did it for kicks and I did it for hate / I did it for lust and I did it for faith / Did it for need and I did it for love / Addiction stayed on tight like a glove". The seventh song is "Every Grain of Sand", written by Bob Dylan from "Shot of Love" whis is considered to be Dylan's last of a trilogy of Christian albums (Slow Train Coming, Saved and Shot of Love). Great interpretation, anyway. The eight song is "Sweet Old World" written by Lucinda Williams. As in the Miller and McGarrigle case above, Harris version supersedes the original. The backing vocals are provided by Neil Young, who also contributes harmonica to the track. The ninth song is "May This Be Love" written by Jimi Hendrix. An odd choice maybe, but it actually works. The tenth song is "Orphan Girl" written by Gillian Welch. This version is as good as the original. The eleventh song is "Blackhawk" written by Daniel Lanois. Good song, but in comparison with the extreme high quality songs on the album this is one of the weakest songs. And finally, the twelfth song is "Waltz Across Texas Tonight" written by Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell. And then it's over. "Wrecking Ball" is one of the best examples of creative producer meets brilliant musician. The dark gothic streak is what it makes it stand out. "Wrecking Ball" showcases perfection in every detail. The soundscape is brilliant. The site The Audiophile Man wrote: "The album displays lots of ambient detail along with a whole heap of memorable low end, featuring a clear, bottom-heavy portrayal of the toms and bass drum. Apparently that lot was recorded using ribbon mikes which might explain a lot."