AUSTIN LUCAS -
BETWEEN THE MOON AND THE MID WEST
2016 - At The Helm Records
Austin Lucas has, for a few years now, been one of the best and most stylistically individual 'country' singers around. The emphasis is on 'country' for the simple reason that his style really should be looked on as the yardstick for defining 'real' modern country music. Despite the often mellow, gentle moments on his albums there is always a raw edge that tells you this is very much a 'heart on sleeve' writer and performer. I have loved his music since the opening bars of his 2006 debut album ' Common Cold' and quite a number of varied recordings since, including one with Chuck Ragan, all of which were of the highest quality and in varying degrees, with Austin's 'punk' roots shining through, although never invasive.
The country elements are deep and natural but when necessary he can rock with the best of them. People sang (sic) the praises of artists such as Garth Brooks when he started out but Austin is way above that level in just about every way. Cale Tyson and Sturgill Simpson are justifiably praised as being the new faces of 'traditional country music,' Austin Lucas is most definitely the 'new face,' despite having been on the scene for nearly ten years, of the edgier side of the same genre and actually ups the ante with his powerful and deep originality. He is helped out on this recording by artists of the calibre of John Moreland, Lydia Loveless and Cory Brannan, whilst being joined in the production by 'Glossary' guitarist and vocalist Joey Kneiser.
Perhaps it is his grounding in punk rock that enables him to be more believable, the fact that there is no artifice, just far from plain and certainly not simple country music that, with his attitude and lack of self consciousness, is easily traced back to the dawn of recording and those unpolished 'hillbillies' of old. Much of what has been referred to as country music over the last few decades contains excellent lyrics, strong melodies and excellent playing and singing but often with very little 'soul' or believability. Austin Lucas and just a few artists like him completely redress the balance, making music that is not only full of soul and believability but is quite often challenging in its lack of pulled punches. His voice has an emotion charged, almost tragic quality to it, as if there is a sense of hopelessness and no little confusion, in reality emphasized by the extraordinarily high quality of his vocals.
If there is one thing he is incapable of it is singing with a lack of emotion, having a degree of vulnerability in both voice and lyrical depictions that puts him in the realm of the greats of country singer songwriters who wore their hearts on their sleeves, something that is apparently a reflection of his everyday life. Many who have followed his often open hearted posts on the digital technology sites will know exactly what I mean.
From the intro of the very first song, Unbroken Hearts, which starts with a slightly foreboding cacophony that in many ways deceives the listener about what is to follow, but as the song develops you realize this is an artist who is taking melodicism to a different level to those who were once his peers and in many ways is actually taking country music to another level. It is not traditional country or any of the alt. offshoots, but it is as powerfully country as it is possible to get, although maybe it is a natural progression from artists such as Hank, George, Merle, Willie et al. Their names were all made as purveyors of country music but generally not the formulaic variety that can be found in the modern day charts, more, country with an 'edge'. Of course, back in the heyday of those artists the influences were probably less and the record companies more controlling. Certainly it would have been interesting if they, like Austin, had grown up in the 'punk rock' era. I suspect there is a strong possibility that they wouldn't have been far removed stylistically from Austin Lucas. There is a passion and a drive to his version of country music that few in the modern era can match and when added to his unique songwriting skills, evocative vocals and spectacularly different arrangements, you can't help but wonder if this is a new direction for country music itself. There is no sanitization of his lyrics that in some cases are quite challenging, almost as if he is not telling stories but stating factual experiences, perhaps from life rather than fiction and is finding it difficult to control the out pouring of varied emotions.
An unusual rocking intro greets us on Ain't We Free, a mid tempo song that can fit comfortably but not exclusively into a sub genre such as 'country rock,' but there is a lot more to a song that is full of the youthful joy of freedom, in some ways an anthem to youth, but there is always that undercurrent of dangerous freedom rather than the freedom available to those who 'toe the line!' A beautiful steel guitar and shuffling percussion gets Wrong Side Of The Dream underway with Austin's heartfelt vocal apologizing for always being away from home, with gorgeous female vocals from duet partner Lydia Loveless during which she puts her point of view. The Flame, as befits the title, is a strange haunting tale with rolling barrelhouse piano, steel guitar, chugging electric guitars and a hard driving vocal from Austin and his partner in harmonies Lydia on a song imbued with distrust and uncertainty about a lovers faithfulness or otherwise. The songs atmosphere is as unsettling as the lyrics giving the listener a complete picture of the subjects' desperate feelings. Finally, on this album from which every song is worthy of a paragraph of its own, William is a gentle ballad with just acoustic guitar for accompaniment on a tale that tells of the intricacies of a friends psyche. Whilst the instrumentation is sparse, lyrically and vocally this is an incredibly real but raw tale. This cements the differences between Austin and most other modern country musicians in that his songs all have a realness and a raw edginess that most others lack, even if the first impression is of the music at least having a mellow feel.
I've loved every album that Austin Lucas has been involved in but this superb recording takes his music to an entirely different level. Austin is the man who, given the exposure, could turn fans of rock, pop, punk, metal, etc on to the fact that real country music is not in fact a joke, but a viable, perhaps even vital, addition to their musical tastes and could open up a whole new world to them! This truly is an album of 'real, hard country music!'
http://www.austinlucasmusic.com/
Austin Lucas has, for a few years now, been one of the best and most stylistically individual 'country' singers around. The emphasis is on 'country' for the simple reason that his style really should be looked on as the yardstick for defining 'real' modern country music. Despite the often mellow, gentle moments on his albums there is always a raw edge that tells you this is very much a 'heart on sleeve' writer and performer. I have loved his music since the opening bars of his 2006 debut album ' Common Cold' and quite a number of varied recordings since, including one with Chuck Ragan, all of which were of the highest quality and in varying degrees, with Austin's 'punk' roots shining through, although never invasive.
The country elements are deep and natural but when necessary he can rock with the best of them. People sang (sic) the praises of artists such as Garth Brooks when he started out but Austin is way above that level in just about every way. Cale Tyson and Sturgill Simpson are justifiably praised as being the new faces of 'traditional country music,' Austin Lucas is most definitely the 'new face,' despite having been on the scene for nearly ten years, of the edgier side of the same genre and actually ups the ante with his powerful and deep originality. He is helped out on this recording by artists of the calibre of John Moreland, Lydia Loveless and Cory Brannan, whilst being joined in the production by 'Glossary' guitarist and vocalist Joey Kneiser.
Perhaps it is his grounding in punk rock that enables him to be more believable, the fact that there is no artifice, just far from plain and certainly not simple country music that, with his attitude and lack of self consciousness, is easily traced back to the dawn of recording and those unpolished 'hillbillies' of old. Much of what has been referred to as country music over the last few decades contains excellent lyrics, strong melodies and excellent playing and singing but often with very little 'soul' or believability. Austin Lucas and just a few artists like him completely redress the balance, making music that is not only full of soul and believability but is quite often challenging in its lack of pulled punches. His voice has an emotion charged, almost tragic quality to it, as if there is a sense of hopelessness and no little confusion, in reality emphasized by the extraordinarily high quality of his vocals.
If there is one thing he is incapable of it is singing with a lack of emotion, having a degree of vulnerability in both voice and lyrical depictions that puts him in the realm of the greats of country singer songwriters who wore their hearts on their sleeves, something that is apparently a reflection of his everyday life. Many who have followed his often open hearted posts on the digital technology sites will know exactly what I mean.
From the intro of the very first song, Unbroken Hearts, which starts with a slightly foreboding cacophony that in many ways deceives the listener about what is to follow, but as the song develops you realize this is an artist who is taking melodicism to a different level to those who were once his peers and in many ways is actually taking country music to another level. It is not traditional country or any of the alt. offshoots, but it is as powerfully country as it is possible to get, although maybe it is a natural progression from artists such as Hank, George, Merle, Willie et al. Their names were all made as purveyors of country music but generally not the formulaic variety that can be found in the modern day charts, more, country with an 'edge'. Of course, back in the heyday of those artists the influences were probably less and the record companies more controlling. Certainly it would have been interesting if they, like Austin, had grown up in the 'punk rock' era. I suspect there is a strong possibility that they wouldn't have been far removed stylistically from Austin Lucas. There is a passion and a drive to his version of country music that few in the modern era can match and when added to his unique songwriting skills, evocative vocals and spectacularly different arrangements, you can't help but wonder if this is a new direction for country music itself. There is no sanitization of his lyrics that in some cases are quite challenging, almost as if he is not telling stories but stating factual experiences, perhaps from life rather than fiction and is finding it difficult to control the out pouring of varied emotions.
An unusual rocking intro greets us on Ain't We Free, a mid tempo song that can fit comfortably but not exclusively into a sub genre such as 'country rock,' but there is a lot more to a song that is full of the youthful joy of freedom, in some ways an anthem to youth, but there is always that undercurrent of dangerous freedom rather than the freedom available to those who 'toe the line!' A beautiful steel guitar and shuffling percussion gets Wrong Side Of The Dream underway with Austin's heartfelt vocal apologizing for always being away from home, with gorgeous female vocals from duet partner Lydia Loveless during which she puts her point of view. The Flame, as befits the title, is a strange haunting tale with rolling barrelhouse piano, steel guitar, chugging electric guitars and a hard driving vocal from Austin and his partner in harmonies Lydia on a song imbued with distrust and uncertainty about a lovers faithfulness or otherwise. The songs atmosphere is as unsettling as the lyrics giving the listener a complete picture of the subjects' desperate feelings. Finally, on this album from which every song is worthy of a paragraph of its own, William is a gentle ballad with just acoustic guitar for accompaniment on a tale that tells of the intricacies of a friends psyche. Whilst the instrumentation is sparse, lyrically and vocally this is an incredibly real but raw tale. This cements the differences between Austin and most other modern country musicians in that his songs all have a realness and a raw edginess that most others lack, even if the first impression is of the music at least having a mellow feel.
I've loved every album that Austin Lucas has been involved in but this superb recording takes his music to an entirely different level. Austin is the man who, given the exposure, could turn fans of rock, pop, punk, metal, etc on to the fact that real country music is not in fact a joke, but a viable, perhaps even vital, addition to their musical tastes and could open up a whole new world to them! This truly is an album of 'real, hard country music!'
http://www.austinlucasmusic.com/