When your shortwave dies & there's no one to listen...
#9 - Vigilantes of Love, Audible Sigh
Those of you who know me have seen this coming for some time. Your only surprise may be that it isn't higher. My fanboy status for VOL may have declined over the past years, but this album abides as one of the true greats of the alt-country genre, and probably a snapshot of the band at its height. More talented as a poet than a musician, lead man Bill Mallonee crafted intense, literary lyrics that on this album finally got their due support from equally talented band members. Barn-burning rockers combine with quiet glimpses of hope and a raw brand of melancholy that few others can match. I still remember when I first heard this album: it was two weeks before I was getting married, I was living by myself in a tiny rented house on a farm in Bristol, Tennessee, and this came in the mail. Only problem: no stereo. I dug through still-unpacked boxes until I found my computer, dug it out, plugged in the crappy standard computer speakers and dropped the album in the CD-Rom slot. It sounded awesome.
Favorite tracks: She Walks on Roses, Extreme North of the Compass, Solar System (click for a listen)
Also available on Emusic: Check it.
4 comments:
I am looking forward to checking these guys out. I had a buddy in college that loved them...
This is a great pick, Aaron...never saw these guys live but always heard it was well worth the ticket price...
I think that the end of Bill's career can best be described in terms of an "audible sigh." But this record definitely was the high point before the fade. And to think, Peter Buck once produced a record by this guy...
Great choice. While VOL may be no more, Bill's career is far from over. He's put out a number of great indie-released albums over the last few years. My personal fave is "Perfumed Letter". He also makes new songs available each month through a subscription service. Check it out at www.volsounds.com
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