featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music
January 17, 2021
Scott Foley, purveyor of dust
Even after thirteen albums, and even more singles, splits and EPs, Pine Hill Haints are sometimes unfairly regarded as a bit of a novelty outfit. They might be miscast as act that trades in slightly spooky music, revved up old-timey set to the rhythm of rattling bones. As their new collection 13 demonstrates, however, these purveyors of Alabama ghost music are deserving of far more attention for their diversity and musicianship. Even if they do throw in a Halloween song now and then.
Pine Hill Haints have built a career from traditional folk instruments and conventions. The individual parts and pieces might be familiar, but Jamie and Kat Barrier infuse their music with a dark, un-trad and even a punk spirit. What they've sent forth over the past twenty-plus years is aptly encapsulated by one reviewer who offered, If the Ramones had formed during the medicine show era of the 1920s, they may have sounded a lot like this.
While 13 may be the collective's most eclectic session to date, Jamie Barrier's mission seems to have strayed very little over the years. Instead of faithfully replicating the roots of country, folk, gospel, etc the band jam them unceremoniously into a blender to agitate. What's remained constant is Pine Hill Haints' still sharp edge, lending a rumor of danger and transgression to their work.
Yes, sometimes Barrier writes spooky songs. "Cemetery Dance" suggests cats are making circles with their tails held high, the lonely wail of a musical saw raising an unsteady breeze. At the halfway point, the patient shuffle kicks into a fevered Caribbean rhythm. See also "Halloween In New Orleans", which adds an accordion to the funeral parade.
Their ghost music tagline just as often alludes to the forgotten nature of the deep roots they inhabit. With its scratchy bed of fiddle and mandolin, "Pistol Knows the Reason" is a Louisiana cajun kick. That wheezing fiddle drives "Short Life of Trouble", a waltz with a traditional broken heart. Barrier reportedly brought these songs to life in a more traditional way as well, convening the contributing players in a single room, their sounds captured by a relatively basic recording setup. In a time when perfection dulls the edge of much of our music, Pine Hill Haints sound more raw, more perfectly unrefined.
This isn't to say that the songs of 13 aren't well executed. On the contrary, the loping "Born to Lose" plays like a lost Suicidal Tendencies demo. Like Mike Ness, Jamie Barrier is an underrated singer, able to channel cajun French here, before taking a turn at an early rock snarl or a gypsy jazz croon. the Haints' talent shines brightest on the LP's more rock-oriented tracks. "Morning Star" chugs along on traintrack percussion, featuring one of Barrier's strongest deliveries. Early rock cuts like "Cough Drops and Tear Drops" or the head-over-heels rush of "Your Wooden Heart Is Dead" last less than a minute, but make a racket on their way through.
Here at R&B HQ, we've subscribed to Pine Hill Haints' uniquely skewed sound since 2007's seminal Ghost Dance. Over the years, records like To Win or To Lose or 2014's excellent Magik Sounds have attested to the fact that consistency doesn't have to be dull. 13 reminds listeners of the multi-dimensional musical reach of the band, not to mention the straightahead pleasure of a band capable of wielding a sharp edge.
- Karen Jonas, "Long December" single (Yellow Brick, 21) D
- James Mathus & His Knockdown Society, "Mississippi Moan" Play Songs for Rosetta (Mammoth, 97)
- Jim Keller, "Mistakes" By No Means (Orange Mt, Feb 12) D
- Hiss Golden Messenger, "Sanctuary" single (Merge, 21) D
- Solomon Burke, "Vicious Circle" Nashville (Shout Factory, 06)
- Menahan Street Band, "The Duke" Exciting Sounds of (Daptone, Feb 26)
- Lucero, "Back in Ohio" When You Found Me (Liberty & Lament, Jan 29)
- Lake Street Dive, "Nobody's Stopping You Now" Obviously (Nonesuch, Mar 12)
- Dr Dog, "Go Out Fighting (live)" Live 2 (We Buy Gold, Jan 29)
- Painted Shrines, "Gone (feat. Woods)" Heaven and Holy (Woodsist, Mar 5) D
- Aaron Lee Tasjan, "Don't Overthink It" Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! (New West, Feb 5)
- Julien Baker, "Hardline" Little Oblivions (Matador, Feb 26)
- John Moreland, "High On Tulsa Heat" High On Tulsa Heat (Old Omens, 15)
- Jamie Lin Wilson, "17" The Years: MusicFest Tribute to Cody Canada (Right Ave, 21)
- Cody Canada & the Departed, "Shut Up and Sing (feat. Todd Snider)" single (Underground Sound, 21) D
- Parker Millsap, "Real Thing" Be Here Instead (Okrahoma, Apr 9) D
- JP Harris, "Take Off Your Tin Foil Hat" single (Demolition & Removal, 21) D
- Hailey Whitters, "The Ride (feat. Jordan Davis)" Living the Dream (Pigasus, Feb 26)
- Dead South, "The Recap (live)" Served Live (Six Shooter, Jan 29) D
^ Pine Hill Haints, "Blackbird Song" 13 (Arkam, 21)
- Jimbo Mathus & Andrew Bird, "Sweet Oblivion" These 13 (Wegawam, Apr 5) D
- Buck Meek, "Two Saviors" Two Saviors (Keeled Scales, 21)
- David Huckfelt, "Bury Me Not (feat. David Simonett)" Room Enough Time Enough (Gamblers Dharma, Feb 26)
- Fruit Bats, "Holy Rose" Pet Parade (Merge, Mar 5) D
- Ana Egge, "This Time" single (StorySound, 21) D
- William the Conqueror, "Quiet Life" Maverick Thinker (Chrysalis, Mar 5) D
- James Yorkston & Second Hand Orchestra, "There is No Upside" Wide Wide River (Domino, Jan 22)
- Carl Anderson, "Damn Thing" Taking Off and Landing (Anderson, Feb 19) D
- Honeycutters, "Blue Beside" On the Ropes (Organic, 16)
- Jeremy Pinnell, "Joey" single (Sofaburn, 21) D
We're still looking at a drip-drip-drip approach to 2021 new release announcements, each one added to our obsessively updated Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster. This week Hailey Whitters announced she'd be sharing a special expanded edition of last year's The Dream. Landing on February 26, Living the Dream will offer the original record plus five new tracks. Three years since his previous full-length, Parker Millsap returns with Be Here Instead. On Okrahoma Records, the sessions will be released on April 9. Calla Lily is the name of the second proper full-length from the Brother Brothers. Watch for it April 16 courtesy of Compass Records. Finally, Allison Russell is one half of Birds of Chicago and one quarter of Our Native Daughters. She'll be bringing Outside Child on May 21.
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