Review Summary: Searching for a former clarity
2016 has been.....rough. For most people in some way. Whether it be a lack of faith in current leadership or lack of hope for either future candidate, or hearing about a new attack against freedom, or a new attack against the innocent based on race, we've all had some kind of moral struggle come out of this year, if not a personal struggle or two as well. But out of this confusion and frustration comes an attempt to make some sense of it all. Not a proposition of what to do to fix anything, but getting it all out there. To start discussions, to maybe even be some sort of catalyst for the creation of solutions. This particular attempt is entitled American Band by Drive-by Truckers.
Some of you may have noticed the use of an Against Me lyric in the review summary. I find it to be the best way to describe American Band, more than anything the album seems to have a cloying need to be clear about why things are the way they are. I find it interesting that it's been dubbed "controversial" by some. For such a controversial album, it doesn't seem to take an actual side. It just paints pictures, tells stories. It leaves one to make their own conclusions. It has no active command or call to action, it just tells it like it is. The songs here deal with a lot of what's political in our society, whether it be school shootings (Guns of Umpqua), race relations (What It Means, Ramon Casiano), immigration (Ramon Casiano, Ever South), censorship (Once They Banned Imagine), hell, even how we talk about sex in relation to gender (Filthy and Fried). It's the first Truckers release to be intended as entirely political, and thank God for that because we need it now more than ever. We don't need sugarcoating, we need reality. American Band is the painting of that stark reality, in all it's seemingly hopeless glory. But it's smart enough to not go completely lofty in its topics. It goes more down to earth on songs like Baggage and Sun Don't Shine, which are both about depression. It gives the album a personable touch that wasn't needed, but only served to elevate it as a piece of art.
I would be remiss not bringing up the musicianship, even if that isn't necessarily the focus. It all flows so well together, with more upbeat southern rock like Ramon Casiano and Darkened Flags On the Cusp of Dawn, and more alt-country tracks held together by soft acoustic guitars and quieter band accompaniment. It makes the harder topics more listenable, but never makes them sound like it's not being taken seriously. It's a perfect balance between knowing what needs to be, but knowing not to fall down a hole. This album could've had less fantastic music and still been just as important, but they took the extra step to make it all the more memorable and important.
As a piece of music, this is probably not the best album you'll hear in 2016. But it is by far the most important, and catchy as all hell at that. It asks the important questions, and makes you think about where we are as a country. It is my personal favorite of the year and required listening if you're from the United States.
