Jason Isbell
Weathervanes


4.2
excellent

Review

by Sunnyvale STAFF
June 6th, 2023 | 82 replies


Release Date: 06/09/2023 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Don't call him Mr. Brightside

Throughout his post Drive-By Truckers solo career, there’s always been a strong current of darkness in Jason Isbell’s music, whether it’s out in the open or lurking beneath the surface. The singer-songwriter’s comfort navigating on the bleak edges of existence is what makes his 2013 record Southeastern tick, resulting in a masterwork widely viewed as the album to beat in the contemporary Americana scene. In the ten years since, the man’s been on fire, releasing a series of pretty killer records, and continually expounding upon melancholy and pessimistic tales, not all directly personal but undeniably drawing upon his ample life experiences - a rough childhood in the South, a youth spent touring, and a tortuous road to sobriety. Isbell’s tunes aren’t totally averse to uplifting and gorgeous sentiments, but those tend to come with a hearty dose of glass-half-full realism - “If We Were Vampires”, for example, is one of the great love songs of our time, sure, but it’s built upon the unpleasant truth that, in nearly every couple, one partner will have to go on after the other’s passing.

I’m not sure exactly what I expected from Isbell’s latest, Weathervanes, which, for the third straight effort, sees him joined by his backing band, the 400 Unit. Previous record Reunions, while a strong effort in a vacuum, fell a bit short of the singer-songwriter’s typical lofty standards, while leaving his future direction wide open. Ultimately, I guess I’d envisioned another dose of potent songcraft backed by some good ole Southern-fried rock n’ roll. And, truth be told, that’s all here. But the prime takeaway from Weathervanes is that Isbell’s music has never been grimmer - a surprising declaration, but true nonetheless.

Part of that assessment may simply be the album’s sprawling nature - topping off at thirteen songs and over an hour in duration. There’s only so many stories of despair, misery, and desperation which a listener can take, and their effect accumulates, especially when they’re as convincingly realized as these are. The subject matter of individual songs may run a gamut, but themes are near-universally downcast and distressing. “Death Wish” starts things off with its depiction of a suicidal partner, and while things might get a little less direct from then on, they rarely move into particularly sunlit pastures. “King Of Oklahoma” is a nice gritty country-rocker, but it’s also a visceral portrait of a life gone off the rails: crime, addiction, a broken family, you get the picture… There’s a palpable aura of danger throughout the track and, while the listener may get the feeling that ultimate responsibility for many (perhaps most) of the protagonist’s problems can be placed squarely on his own shoulders, nonetheless the song is crafted so excellently that there’s no choice but to empathize deeply. “Save The World”, meanwhile, is a wrenching exploration of a society gone mad through repeated gun violence (seemingly inspired directly by the Uvalde massacre), and of its psychic impacts on the narrator. Again, these topics don’t seem to have been selected for their joy-inducing qualities.

This isn’t to say that the entirety of Weathervanes is unmitigated glumness. “Strawberry Woman”, for example, is rather upbeat, even if it’s a truly bittersweet listen, while “If You Insist” concentrates on the very human need for connection. “Cast Iron Skillet” sees Isbell’s songwriting at its most delicate, combining nostalgia-inducing folksy imagery with a sad portrayal of a family torn apart by unthinking bigotry - it’s a tearjerker, but undeniably beautiful as well. And “Vestavia Hills” is a richly-textured piece portraying a grizzled and world-weary veteran musician: while it’s not cheery stuff, it’s more contemplative than anything.

As a whole, I’d confidently slot Weathervanes into the upper half of Isbell’s output, rivaling such worthy records as Something More Than Free and The Nashville Sound. At this point in a consistently great discography, a throwback comparison to Isbell’s perceived peak, Southeastern, might feel unnecessary - but here I go. That album is full of heavy anecdotes, whether it’s the brutally stark portrayal of a friend with terminal cancer in “Elephant” or the story of (arguably justifiable) murder committed in “Yvette”, but it ends with “Relatively Easy”. It’s a song with lyrics that are anything but a cakewalk, but they’ve always seemed to me to be an attempt to put things into perspective, an acknowledgement that, after so many horrors of the world are cataloged throughout the record, one should still strive to focus on the positive while moving forward through life. That little ray of light has always made Southeastern a substantially more approachable album for me, despite its overwhelming preponderance of tough-to-process concerns. Weathervanes very much does not follow this same strategy. Instead, closer “Miles'' is an emotional gut punch, tracking the slow poisoning of the relationship between a parent and his child. It’s a masterwork of a final statement, yes, an expansive rocker which approaches prog territory in construction, but the song rejects any attempt at encouragement, let alone salvation.

So yeah, Weathervanes is a bit of a downer. Regardless, though, it’s Isbell’s reliably exceptional songwriting, the bursting-out-of-the-gate energy of the 400 Unit (just listen to the barnburner that is “When We Were Close”), and a talent for subtle but inescapable hooks which make the doom and gloom of these songs not only bearable, but rather inviting. The way Isbell howls out “I ain’t your volunteer” and lets the last word hang in the air on a certain late-album track will probably be stuck in your head for days, if you’re anything like me. Weathervanes might be hella depressing, but it’s part of a good lineage from Americana’s more sinister side - from Townes Van Zandt not just waiting around to die, from John Prine telling us about Sam Stone and Jesus dying for nothing (I suppose), from Bruce Springsteen driving a stolen car on a pitch black night. These songs might be (mostly) the soundtracks of people drifting at the fringes or sinking lower and lower and mourning everything they’ve lost, but Isbell shares it all with endless precision and skill, making us care (perhaps too much). We’re in good company.



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user ratings (84)
3.7
great


Comments:Add a Comment 
Sunnyvale
Staff Reviewer
June 6th 2023


6148 Comments

Album Rating: 4.2

Jason Isbell does it again, a nice bounce back from Reunions, which was rather weak by his standards in my eyes.



Album is out this Friday, Jun 9th.



Thanks to Johnny for a much-needed second pair of eyes on this review!



SpeachImpediment
June 6th 2023


128 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Great write-up. Can't wait to hear this.



See him live if you have the opportunity.

Feather
June 6th 2023


10449 Comments


Oh man, I have been bamboozled. I listened this morning to what I thought was a new Jason Isbell ep because Spotify grouped the 4 singles together and called it an ep!

Excited to check the full thing. The singles were nice, but hoping for more out of the rest.

menawati
June 6th 2023


16721 Comments


is he any good ?
i got his Telecaster but have never even listened to him

Sunnyvale
Staff Reviewer
June 6th 2023


6148 Comments

Album Rating: 4.2

@Feather, I hate when that happens... I've got very wary of "new EP" announcements on Spotify for that reason.



I just checked which songs were singles, Cast Iron Skillet might be my favorite track on here but the other three are probably middle-to-weaker side of the album, so if you weren't overly impressed I wouldn't worry too much.

DadKungFu
Staff Reviewer
June 6th 2023


5388 Comments


Isbell's never stood out that much for me beyond Cover Me Up and a few other extra bright spots, this review's got me pretty hyped though

theBoneyKing
June 7th 2023


24651 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

Great review Sunny! I haven’t been impressed by Isbell’s work since SMTF, I feel like those last couple albums were a bit more complacent/repetitive and lacked the bite of his best work but it sounds like this one is shaking up the formula a bit at least and returning to his storytelling side.

insomniac15
Staff Reviewer
June 7th 2023


6236 Comments

Album Rating: 3.5

Sweet! I was waiting for a new album from him for a while now.

Sowing
Moderator
June 7th 2023


44399 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Can't wait for this

bigguytoo9
June 8th 2023


1440 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Saw him and the 400 Unit earlier this year and it was amazing.

SpeachImpediment
June 8th 2023


128 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Got to listen to a vinyl copy last night. It's good.

YoYoMancuso
Staff Reviewer
June 8th 2023


19268 Comments


sounds like another great effort from Mr. Brightside. Exemplary review as always Sunny

DoofDoof
June 9th 2023


15771 Comments

Album Rating: 4.5

This could end up being either my favourite or at least most played Isbell - something about it, can tell already



Top level writing mixed with the agreeableness of his recent stuff, lot of these instrumentals could have been Petty & the Heartbreakers



Has that widescreen radio play thing going

andree23
June 9th 2023


3 Comments


Isbell has released a series of impressive records that delve into melancholic and pessimistic tales, drawing from his personal experiences, including a difficult shell shockers childhood, a youth spent touring, and his journey to sobriety. While his songs occasionally touch on uplifting and beautiful sentiments, they are often grounded in a realistic, glass-half-full perspective.

MoM
June 9th 2023


5994 Comments


I definitely gotta check this. I always forget he’s got so much more than Southeastern

anat
Contributing Reviewer
June 9th 2023


5828 Comments


have only listened to reunions but enjoyed that very much, so looking forward to giving this one a spin, especially on the back of yet another stellar sunnyvale review

Feather
June 9th 2023


10449 Comments


ooo excited to see the praise here so far. so happy it isnt just an ep lol

Sunnyvale
Staff Reviewer
June 9th 2023


6148 Comments

Album Rating: 4.2

Thanks anat!



@Doof, yeah, hadn't really thought about a Tom Petty comparison but I can hear it. Definitely darker than TP's typical sound, but I do think the fusion of Isbell's songwriting and the 400 Unit's rock-ier impulses is at peak form here.

MunsuLight
June 9th 2023


726 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Weirdly enough my favorite song out of this is Miles.

Also I know I will struggle in the long run with this album. I just feel it is a little bit one dimensional musically but this is also my first album from him, At the same time there are just so many lyrics to decipher in there

tyman128
Staff Reviewer
June 9th 2023


4593 Comments


Fantastic review as always! Album is sounding amazing so far



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