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For many, the genre of Modern Folk appears derivative, used up, and withered; a mockery of some bygone era long since grown impure. Austin’s Brothers and Sisters, with their newest release, Fortunately, contravene this concept - creating, in effect, Austin’s first Postmodern Folk album. Its music is fresh and honest, not because it mimics that golden era of mid-20th-century folk, but because its chords and sentiments seem to flow directly from the past and combine effortlessly with the band’s modern storytelling sensibilities. In these fourteen songs, the band is at once ironic and non-patronizing, tearing just at the edge of novel and nostalgic.
Opening with “Mason City,” Lily and Will Courtney immediately introduce classic folk themes of travel and loss, as the two harmonize “I’d give anything just to get back home/ … I’m a runaway.” For these two, the contradiction between the desire to flee and the need to feel at home has never been so strong. Clean guitar slides and cymbal/tambourine-heavy rhythms accent the overwhelming sentimentality of the piece, but are a good lead into the more edgy “You’re Gone”. Here, sustained guitar chords create a suspense that echo the singer’s own as Will states, “Six months in, and I’m still afraid/ to begin to feel the pain.” The tune echoes the heyday of Crazy Horse, with Lily as their female Mr. Young, while the overdriven solos remind one of Ryan Adam’s Whiskeytown or a pop-saturated Gram Parsons, but without the sparse simplicity found therein.
In fact, part of Brothers and Sisters’ pluralistic charm is that, despite their repetitive chord structures and predictable lyrics, there is a rich, dense texture of sound coming from all members that somehow manages to avoid sounding overdone. Guitar counter-melodies, tambourine taps, and multiple vocal tracks combine to make for much more full sounding music than their bygone influences. As in “The Air is Getting Thicker,” every Dwayne Allman guitar line gives way to a subtle keyboard pad or warbling vibrato synth that - for better or worse - has never been juxtaposed with that sound. It is a subtle combination, but sultry and inviting as well.
Even bathed in sunlight, small shadows, at times, peek through. In “The Trees Are Bare,” Will Courtney reflects on the millions of musicians who come to Austin only to open their first hard-won set with the trite declaration that “it’s hot up here.” However, what should be a witty analysis of scene vs. “Scene” turns aurally abrasive almost immediately. Lily Courtney creates a vocal call-response with her brother, using a snotty southern belle sass that comes off as instantly obnoxious, while Will painfully blurts “I may be cool but honey I ain’t cold.” If nothing else, this track reminds the listener that under no circumstances should song lyrics contain the words “hot toddy.” No exceptions.
“Wash Away” sounds like a mildly folky Ben Folds romp, in part because of its opening keyboard line and a capella “bop” sounds, but also because of the overall relaxed feel and clearly enunciated lyrics. Drawing from the song’s title, the reverbed guitar and echoey slide sounds give the track an aquatic feel, that, combined with the upbeat lyrics, evoke a rainbow-laden summer shower.
Not all tracks share such joy; closer “Fortunately” rumbles with an emotional depth that lies undiscovered elsewhere, and climbs to a sonorous and poignant climax with a soaring, unintelligible chant that seems far purer than the generally banal lyrics, and makes one reevaluate the seemingly unflappable joy of the rest of the album. Even though far outnumbered, these sad glimpses transcend those of more straightforward tracks. Tears of happiness give way to desperation and - eventually - hope, without feeling jarring or contrived.
Yes, we’ve heard it before, but never this clearly. The nostalgic nature of Brother and Sisters’ Fortunately makes each song instantly memorable, as if one had just found the album in a stack of old LP’s, dusted off the cover, and popped it in. It recalls a time “back when I was new and we were young/ back when being poor was kinda fun.” While that may seem eons ago for some, for others it may be scarcely yesterday. Groundless, but instantly relatable, the ultimate charm of Fortunately lies in its ability to compress time in this fashion, so that in a room full of 50’s cowboys, ’69 rebels, and ’08 hipsters, everyone, fortunately, can share a common moment and a smile.
Mp3 from Fortunately:
Brothers and Sisters - The Air is Getting Thicker
Websites:
www.thebrothersandsisters.com
Myspace
