featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music
April 23, 2023
Scott Foley, purveyor of dust
Perhaps it's a wily strategy on behalf of the Country Westerns' marketing team, a ploy to attract some of that sweet americana and alt.country money. Whatever the reason Joseph Plunket and Brian Kotzur chose to call their Nashville-born garage trio Country Westerns, the tactic succeeded. Their 2020 debut drew the attention of blogs like ours, and writers who likened their spitfire sound to acts from the halcyon days of alt.country. With roots in bands like Silver Jews, State Champion, the Weight and others, their pedigree was strong enough. Stronger still were Plunket's feral yowl and Kotzur's too-good-for punk drumming.
Following a palate-pleasing 2021 covers EP, Country Westerns deliver their sophomore album with Forgive the City (Fat Possum, April 28).
"Country Westerns" lays out an origin story of sorts, set to Jordan Jones' galloping bass and a bit of a dark Western cast. Plunket fills out the story: We got to drink what we didn't spill / We remained cautiously certain / Our credit could stay clean. The singer/guitarist opts for a twelve-string electric, which adds a sweet jangle in contrast to the sessions' garage aesthetic. That more melodic element rings through "It's a Living" and "Where I'm Going" as well, songs that producer/guitarist Matt Sweeney has built with room to breathe.
More often that not, however, Country Westerns are simply choosing three of their favorite chords to bash on for a couple minutes. I hold regrets like a jealous child / I hold contempt all the way inside, Plunket howls on the racing "Grapefruit". Kotzur's rapid-fire snare rattles throughout, the trio's not-so-secret weapon. "Cussin' Christians" pogoes tightly between time signatures, manic but rarely sloppy. Joseph Plunket sounds like Richard Buckner with chest congestion on the fiery "Hell", perhaps fronting the Mekons: Not giving love / And not letting love inside / Hell is here / All of the time.
Forgive the City demonstrates a more thoughtful approach to writing than Country Westerns' debut. While all but two songs keep well below the three-minute mark, tunes like the power pop "Wait For It" (with its m-m-missed opportunities) are hardly just speed and spit. Plunket summed up the collection's highwater mark, "Speaking Ill of the Blues": It's about the back and forth between bad and worse and making a reach for the good. While it's said its piece in 2:32, the song sounds almost breezy alongside its grittier companions, with a guitar solo for good measure.
Earlier this year, Brian Kotzur assembled a Spotify playlist called Gimme Country: Country Westerns DJ Set. In his lineup the drummer included alt-leaning icons like Mekons, Gun Club, and the aforementioned Silver Jews. But Kotzur also made room for americana sure things like Lucinda Williams, Margo Price and the Sadies. It's as good a mixtape as you'll find, in addition to triangulating where Country Westerns place their own star in the great genre galaxy. Where their 2020 debut might've been a lark, Forgive the City is a deliberate gesture, a statement of purpose and identity. Got thirty minutes?
- Joy Oladokun, "Take Things For Granted" Proof of Life (Verve, Apr 28)
- Durand Jones, "Sadie" Wait Til I Get Over (Dead Oceans, May 5)
- Early James, "Sucker For the Sad Life" Strange Time to Be Alive (Deluxe Edition) (Easy Eye, 23)
- St Paul & the Broken Bones, "South Dakota" Angels in Science Fiction (ATO, 23)
- David Wax Museum, "Best Lover" You Must Change Your Life (Nine Mile, May 5)
- Lucinda Williams, "Stolen Moments" Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart (Hwy 20, Jun 30)
- John Andrews & the Yawns, "Fourth Wall" Love For the Underdog (Woodsist, Apr 28)
- Jeffrey Silverstein, "Theme From Western Sky Music" Western Sky Music (Arrowhawk, May 12)
- RF Shannon, "Heathen Nights" Red Swan in Palmetto (Keeled Scales, May 26) D
- Cory Hanson, "Horsebait Sabotage" Western Cum (Drag City, Jun 23)
- Rose City Band, "Saturday's Gone" Garden Party (Thrill Jockey, 23)
- Bohannons, "Ride the Night" Night Construction (Cornelius Chapel, May 12)
- Lake Nakomah, "New Skin" Lake Nakomah (Single Lock, May 9)
- Hurray for the Riff Raff, "Resistance Rockers" Life On Earth (Deluxe Edition) (Nonesuch, 23)
- Tallest Man on Earth, "Major League" Henry St (Anti, 23)
- Spencer Cullum, "What a Waste of An Echo" Coin Collection 2 (Full Time Hobby, 23)
- Caroline Spence, "Next Good Time (ft Lori McKenna)" True North (Deluxe) (Rounder, Jun 16)
- Esther Rose, "Levee Song" Safe to Run (New West, 23)
- CMAT, "Whatever's Inconvenient" single (AWAL, 23) D
- Laura Cantrell, "Push the Swing" Just Like a Rose: Anniversary Sessions (Propeller, Jun 9)
- Malcolm Holcombe, "Bits and Pieces" Bits & Pieces (Singular, Jun 23) D
- Bella White, "Numbers" Among Other Things (Rounder, 23)
- Ags Connolly, "Overwhelmed" Siempre (At the Helm, Jun 16)
- Ward Hayden & the Outliers, "(Breaking Up With My) Hometown" South Shore (Faster Horses, May 5)
- Brandy Clark, "She Smoked in the House" Brandy Clark (Warner, May 19)
- Rodney Crowell, "Lucky" Chicago Sessions (New West, May 5)
- Layng Martine, "Love You Back To Georgia" Music Man (Kill Rock Stars, May 19)
- Brennen Leigh, "Running Out of Hope, Arkansas" Ain't Through Honky Tonkin' Yet (Signature Sounds, Jun 16) D
- Anna Tivel, "American Novella" single (Mama Bird, 23) D
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