Review Summary: It’s a long way down when your feet have never touched the ground
I often like to write one paragraph reviews. Such an effort is a combination of a fun writing exercise, with the trimming of everything but the most essential details to craft a concise depiction of a record, and an acknowledgement of the demands of modern readers. Attention spans aren’t what they used to be (even mine, as much as I try to fight it), and if a trim little writeup has the potential to hook more fans’ attention on a worthwhile album, well, so it goes. If you’ve made it this far, though, this definitely won’t be one of those lean and mean machines. Wild Pink’s fourth record is a sprawling effort from the band, and there are a lot of points to touch on. So buckle up, the words are flowing.
ILYSM finds Wild Pink at a distinct place, both in terms of the group’s trajectory and the personal circumstances of frontman John Ross. The band has attracted increasing attention and even adulation with each album, and 2021’s
A Billion Little Lights received widespread praise. That effort was an undeniably gorgeous set of songs, but also raised some questions, marking a streamlining of the group’s signature sleepy indie-meets-Americana sound. In short, it was a great release on its own merits, but the risk of diminishing returns lurked right around the corner, and an approaching artistic dead end felt like a real possibility.. Meanwhile, on a far grimmer note, not long after beginning work on what would become
ILYSM, Ross received the devastating news of a cancer diagnosis. As such, most of this record was written (and the entirety recorded) under an ominous black cloud. Indeed, Ross had surgery to remove his lymph nodes not long after the recording sessions for
ILYSM.
Given the aforementioned context, there’s a lot on the table for this album. First of all, Ross himself describes (in an interview with Fader) a desire to break from the “sheen” and “digital lacquer” of
A Billion Little Lights, instead aspiring to shift towards a “stripped-down” sound. In short, the band decided to move decisively against the aforementioned potential for stagnation. Secondly, there’s a feeling about
ILYSM, an existentialism and an urgency, both in lyrics and instrumentation, which, at least in part, is presumably derived from the turbulence of Ross’ recent travails. While the “C-word” (no, not that one) isn’t referenced much directly in these songs, more obliquely it’s clear that the gut punch of a deadly-serious health crisis at a young age has shaken this crew. Wild Pink takes wild flights in varying directions both in subject matter and musical style here, but it’s all reflective and deeply honest to the core.
ILYSM operates on a much wider sonic canvas than
A Billion Little Lights or even the stunning
Yolk In The Fur. Indeed, in many ways this album harkens back most closely to the band’s self-titled debut effort, which was diverse musically but suffered from the fact that the songs (mostly) showed a band still figuring things out. Now, Wild Pink are in their prime, and they’ve let loose with a set of tunes which range from as gentle of a folk/Americana number as they’ve ever done (“St. Beater Camry”) to near-Cloakroom-style heavy-gaze (the louder parts of “Sucking On The Birdshot”). The band is also operating with an impressive set of guest contributors, among them The Antlers’ Peter Silberman ( lending a hand on production, as well as with vocals and several instruments), Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis (energetic guitar on “See You Better Now”), Ryley Walker (energetic guitar on “Simple Glyphs”), and Julien Baker (spotlighted prominently in an emotive duet with Ross on “Hold My Hand”). Wild Pink’s signature accomplishment here is linking the work of these featured compatriots and the unprecedented (for them) musical variety effortlessly with a bunch of songs which sound (more or less) like what you’d expect Wild Pink songs to sound like: that is, mellow, crystalline indie tinged with Americana/country influences, a lazier The War On Drugs, to get reductive. Even the moments which, at first listen, appear to be questionable decisions, like the chanted “I love you so much” which initiates the title track or the earnest spoken word vocals at the beginning of its closing sister track “ICLYM”, play their role to break up any danger of monotony from an overdose of placid musical beauty. And, for the record, after a few listens, even those moments hit just right.
ILYSM is not an album which slacks on emotional impact either. Wild Pink have always made pretty tunes, but their most resonant songs are always those in which the powerful lyrics manage to merge with the stunning instrumentals to reach the listener’s heart and soul, like the pristine snow day feel of “Burger Hill”, or the wrenching feeling of both the world’s beauty and its sadness which “The Shining But Tropical” conjures up: “with the storm that was coming your way, the plan was to float away face down, in the San Francisco Bay on a clear blue day”. This record has those kinds of moments in spades. It’s hard not to revere an album which contains not only the stream-of-consciousness meanderings of “Cahooting The Multiverse”, full of nostalgic imagery about “walking the subdivision after dark” and “childhood fantasies”, but also the somber folk of “St. Beater Camry” with its endless stream of lyrical gold nuggets, and the catchy rocker “See You Better Now”, which feels like something the late great Tom Petty might’ve sung. It’s just fantastic, and while the record is full to the brim with delicate piano lines and alternately chiming and soothing guitar, the humanity behind all that musical beauty is what really shines through.
ILYSM is an oddly difficult album to summarize (this review is more than one paragraph, after all). I say “oddly” because, as much as I appreciate Wild Pink’s earlier works, they were always rather easy to digest. To put it another way, it’s hard to imagine any of the band’s previous efforts would have fared well if stretched to just over an hour in length, given their lovely but rather one-note natures, but this record accomplishes that feat just fine. To start with, the album’s first half, while leaning more towards the band’s typical sound, is also Wild Pink’s finest stretch of tunes in their career. This is then married to a second half which, if not quite a match in terms of overall quality, is stylistically more adventurous and keeps the listener engaged throughout. Taken as a whole,
ILYSM covers a lot of ground, but it holds itself together through fervent contemplation and heartfelt feeling. This is a record all about big things: life and death, taking stock of who and what is important, of what you bring with you and what you leave behind. It’s a journey well worth taking, one with a lot of depth, and it’s fitting that the closer “ICLYM” circles back to the title track not just with its straightforward expressions of devotion (“I love you so much” becomes “I couldn’t love you more”) but also with entwined poetic imagery of moonlit, ghostly scenes.
ILYSM explores memories and how to process them in the here and now, while also being a record I expect to be remembered for a long time. It’s Wild Pink’s crowning achievement as a band.
