It took a while, but I finally heard Drag the River…and I like it. Bad at Breaking Up gathers together all the various tracks the band contributed to 7”s, splits and comps as well as some b-sides. From the sound of it (and having since heard some other stuff by them) I would say this is an excellent introduction to the band and, considering the fantastic packaging that accompanies the album, well worth the investment.
There are a few major selling points here; the (mostly) acoustic guitars, the duel vocal approach courtesy of Jon Snodgrass and Chad Price, and all the references to drinking. These guys keep the instrumentation sparse and let their clean, deeply twanged (is that a word?) voices do all the talking. Some of the tunes remind me of Mike Cooley’s acoustic songs for Drive-By Truckers, just a bit higher pitched. Some remind me of Limbeck’s older records, where the emphasis was less on arrangement and more on immediacy. And there is definitely a large dose of The Replacements here, and maybe even a bit more of Paul Westerberg’s solo output; I can definitely hear the Stereo influence. Regardless, it’s a great mix of sounds spread out across a great collection.
If I had to pick some favorites, opener “Having a Party” would definitely be one of them. I always loved the swaying R&B sound of the original, but this version, sung by Jon, gives the song a whole new feel; the DIY nature of Drag the River makes the song sound almost like a plea for the DJ not to just keep playing music, but to play some quality music…any kind of quality music. With the awful state of radio in this country, I couldn’t agree more. Another gem would have to be “Beautiful & Damned,” which is certainly a bit of a risk for the group. Featuring solo vocals accompanied by only a swirling, distorted pedal steel guitar, it’s a beautiful side-step to the rest of the album and I have a hard time not jumping right to it when I put Bad at Breaking Up on.
I don’t feel like it’s fair to judge collections by normal, album standards. Instead, I’m interested in how well the release flows and if it accomplishes the idea of introducing someone to a new artists. Bad at Breaking Up does both of these things well and though it may start to sound a bit alike towards the end, there is no denying the excellent songwriting and delivery by these alt-country troubadours.
Label: Suburban Home
J.J.’s Drivin’
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