A Front Row Seat at the Corner of Forlorn and Regret With Gillian Welch and David Rawlings
in "you are there" spectacularly natural sound
Rarely does regret sound so affirming, loss so found, emptiness so filling, distance so near and dated so au courant as do those dark sentiments on this collection of woe filled songs that though relentlessly morose, somehow bring to the listener peace and resolve.
Though the Welch/Rawlings musical style remains fixed in mountain balladry and many of the themes are timeless, there's modernity too in "Hashtag"—an unrelentingly down road song about chasing the dream, "The Day the Mississippi Died", which needs no further elucidation other than along with the ecological angle is a plea for tolerance, and more than a few about break ups and growing old. Cheers!
The duo's vocalizing remains magical and mesmerizing. At one point during "The Day The Mississippi Died" Welch breaks into a falsetto that will shiver your timbers. There's nothing spare about the backing arrangements that include on some tracks drums, bass, pedal steel, fiddle and strings all subtly dialed into a tasteful blend that never overwhelms the acoustic guitar magic for which the couple is renowned. You're sure to exit your flrst play exalted and even refreshed despite the flowing dark undercurrents.
Of course the AAA sound is breathtakingly transparent three-dimensional and timbrally and texturally honest. You are in the Woodland Studios witnessing the performances. Image solidity is of the "reach out and touch" variety.
The Woodland Studios high resolution digital assets arrived months ago sent by a publicist. But I didn't want to spoil the experience so chose to wait for the record release. Word never came and I moved on to other things. My regret. Should have bought as soon as it was released but glad I waited to listen deeply into the Rawlings cut—his first on his restored lathe.
David Rawlings' restored Neumann lathe at Woodland Studios
The record, plated by Gary Salstrom and pressed at Paramount (the former VMP pressing plant now at least in part owned by Rawlings) on a semi transparent vinyl formulation that may or may not be a Neotech vinyl formulation, is perfectly flat and quiet as this music demands it to be, with a textured paper gatefold jacket that's equally up to the presentational task.
If you've already purchased this you know what I mean. If you haven't, I can't recommend a record more than this one. And how great and not surprising is it to see legendary recording engineer Ken Scott in the credits?
