Self-released

***1/2

This American folk-rock band is named after the town of Goodnight, Texas, the geographic midpoint between the locations of the group’s main songwriters Avi Vinocur (San Francisco) and Patrick Dyer Wolf (Chapel Hill, North Carolina). Despite the thousands of miles of separation, the band is now in its tenth year with an impressive catalogue of half-a-dozen albums and EPs to their credit and a regular touring schedule. The five-piece outfit’s blend of modern-traditional harmony-rich folk-rock and early Appalachian-style country music is a unique one in today’s music landscape, but it’s thoroughly and completely enjoyable. They are not your typical folk revivalists, for them, braiding centuries-old musical traditions with modern-day stories and personal perspectives comes naturally. The mix of banjo, mandolin, fiddle, pedal steel, drums, bass, electric and acoustic guitars affirms the band’s ability to mine past precepts and still find a current connection. There’s no let-up in their enthusiasm, whether the musicians opt for an uptick in energy or simply toe a totally traditional motif. Heart-wrenching singing, ripping solos, and the unique thoughtful voices of each band member is at the heart of it all. Occasionally blithe, but more often with darker undertones, this recording is an oddly romantic, gothic castle of an album with lyrical spires of hardship, struggle, inequality and poverty between the often blissful melodies. It is also a timeless record, one that you will turn to again and again. It just also happens to be a perfectly suited soundtrack to the current tumultuous times.

They write elegant folk songs with airy, atmospheric spaces. There’s a jaunty, mountain vibe running through Solstice Day, with a plucked banjo, acoustic guitars and delicate harmonies emphasising the air of missing a loved one. A droning fiddle paints a dark picture in Neighborhoods, a song portraying the rise of exclusion to those who dare to be different. A traditional mountain musical arrangement raises a giant jar of moonshine to the South in the sizzling Gotta Get Goin’ an ode to raisin' hell in the Bible Belt. A galloping number powered by a banjo and a brisk, precise acoustic guitar figure, uses rich imagery to cast musical perseverance as the most satisfying form of survival. There’s an infectiousness to Borrowed Time, with on-the-mark vocal harmonies riding a Band-type groove into the sunset.

I’d Rather Not pivots into deeper poetic lyricism and darker metaphors, all strung together with plaintive vocals outlining painful life experiences. The mood is generally more ruminative, and the production is much more atmospheric, filled with ethereal harmonies and glistening pedal steel. Another song that cuts you to the quick is Jane, Come Down From Your Room. To a simply plucked acoustic guitar and sawing fiddle, an alcoholic father confesses to his daughter the cause of his marriage break-up and being a poor father with such brutal honesty it’s like eavesdropping on a real heartbreaking family drama. In stark contrast Sarcophagus is perfect for closing your eyes and retreating inwards, letting the dreamy melody guide you through some afternoon introspection. It feels and sounds like the first rays of sunshine after a long icy winter as they make unerringly pretty music about unerringly sad things.

Writing an album that manages to explore inner turmoil while still sounding peaceful is no easy feat, but this group executes it with immaculate precision.

The breezy acoustic amble at the core of such songs as Hypothermic and Dead Middle provides a casual caress that accentuates the appeal. They have managed to toe a fine line, one that finds them balancing between more traditional tenants and genuine populist appeal.

https://hiwearegoodnighttexashowareyou.com

January 2022