Imaginary Lines - Unspoken Tradition
Track List:
Carolina and Tennessee
Irons in the Fire
Crooked Jack (feat. John Doyle)
Soldiers of Dust
California
The Old Swinging Bridge
At the Bottom Again
Back on the Crooked Road
Bounty Hunter
Lookout Mountain
My daughter recommended this
Not because she thought it was a good album or that she had listened to it but because one of the band members is also a teacher at her school. I did listen to a bit of the first song to make sure that it was going to be something tolerable before agreeing to listening to it today.
Carolina and Tennessee
It's bluegrassy and folky. The lead singer has vibrato on his voice when he holds a note. It reminds me of what I don't like about Stevie Nicks singing. To be fair I think this is a valid musical choice, it’s just not something that I prefer. This is a love song that compares love to the invisible border between states.
Irons in the Fire
It's also a lower register and could be a different singer. This song is talking about being busy with life and feeling like you are missing out but if you take the time to step back and try to observe the efforts of hard work you can reap the fruits of your efforts.
Crooked Jack (feat. John Doyle)
I really like the intro, fiddle and guitar. A tale of a man who had to work hard labor to survive the work took a toll on his body.
Soldiers of Dust
The banjo roll is what is really standing out to me on this one. This seems to be about living dying rural towns. I am thinking of towns and hollers in Appalachia where coal was big and production has stopped. Now the folks there are the ones who haven't been able to afford to go to more urban cities or the ones that refuse to leave. These areas are usually rife with addiction due to the lack of stuff to do. The song seems to be about watching a towns the narrator connects with and would call home decay and fall.
California
This song is less folky and is venturing into almost pop country territory. This seems to be a tale of wanderlust.
The Old Swinging Bridge
Back to the more traditional bluegrass sound. I like the violin solo after the first chorus. I also like the guitar solo after the second chorus. I wonder if they will do another solo after the next chorus? Yep, a highlight on the banjo! This is fun. I am not sure if this is an ode to a love lost or a dedication to a current love.
At the Bottom Again
A song of betrayal of a lover. The bridge is brilliant. I like how dark this song is without being overtly dark. For reference I previously have listened to The Devil Makes Three and The Dead South which I could see this song being adapted to either of their styles without much effort. It's dealing with subject matter that would fit both but it doesn't delve into what exactly the "bottom" is and leaves that up to the listener. I don't think if this was made by either of the other bands it would leave that up to the listener, I could easily see the chorus changed to "Headed down in the bottle again!" This was an enjoyable listen.
Back on the Crooked Road
The journey of one's life is dictated not by outside forces but by choices made and risks taken by the traveler. I think that this song is alluding to that. The narrator would take risks and explore life but then was funneled into a system of not taking risks and being complacent in life. The narrator has grown tired of that existence and has made an effort to break from the norm and return to the life of exploration they once enjoyed. Or a more literal take and the narrator was born into a life of crime but was reformed at some point and has been lured back into the seedy criminal world.
Bounty Hunter
The tale of a bounty hunter who has found his prey and gives them time to prepare but comes collecting. There is a shootout at dawn, but the bounty hunter shoots true and fatally wounds the prey, but doesn't kill him right away. The prey fights back and also kills the bounty hunter. Woo what a ride!
Lookout Mountain
It am not sure if this would be considered a tale of gentrification. The song tells about the town of Lookout Mountain which was the narrator's home, the town is converting into a tourist playground.
I was surprised
I really enjoyed that. I wasn’t expecting much and my expectations were exceeded. I plan to see this band live at some point.
