Artist: Steel Wheels
Album: Wild as We Came Here
Bitrate: 219kbps avg
Quality: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.98.4 / -V0 / 44.100Khz
Label: Big Ring Records
Genre: Bluegrass
Size: 67.24 megs
PlayTime: 0h 40min 39sec total
Rip Date: 2017-12-02
Store Date: 2017-05-05
Track List:
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01. To the Wild 4:13
02. Scrape Me Off the Ceiling 3:00
03. Wild as We Came Here 4:49
04. Sing Me Like a Folk Song 3:20
05. Broken Mandolin 4:34
06. Hold On 5:08
07. Heartbeat 3:21
08. Ghost of Myself 3:39
09. Take Me to the Ending 3:51
10. Till No One is Free 4:44
Release Notes:
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The Steel Wheels just dropped the best album of their career. Trent Wagler, Eric
Brubaker, Brian Dickel and Jay Lapp have a lot of reasons to be proud. Their new
release, Wild as We Came Here, has the boys from the Blue Ridge out on the road,
giving some of the most stirring performances of their career. The Wheels
deliver ten singularly brilliant songs that form a cohesive document of life in
western Virginia. Subjects as diverse as environmental activism and religious
oppression are all firmly rooted in a mural of rural life. At their core these
stories are connected to the natural, tangible world, and as such, their
struggles take on an epic, spiritual dimension, one that we immediately identify
with.
That epic spiritual dilemma is rooted in the distance that stretches between
what we hope for and what we settle for in this life. The vehicle that moves us
along that terrain, and grounds us in the physical world, is the clean sound of
acoustic strings set against a backdrop of gorgeous vocal harmonies. This is
music made by people, not machines; hands of flesh and bone coaxing magic from
instruments made of wood.
And yet, the Steel Wheels wisely avoid the trap of time. This is not a new
old-timey record waxing poetic about the good old days. The album is clearly
centered in the present, which saves it from being both preachy and sentimental.
The lead-off tune, ôTo the Wild,ö woos the listener away from a life of gridlock
and into a more considered way of living.
I saw lights, bright city lights,
They drew me out on the horizon,
Before I knew there was one I was tied up to its post
Every day, every direction
Running errands in circles of confusion
The band made some conscious changes for this record that show their growth as
artists. First, they brought in Sam Kassirer to produce. Kassirer, known for his
work with Josh Ritter and Lake Street Dive brought a fresh perspective and
focus. The band packed up and went to Maine last fall, where they recorded the
album in a week and a half, in KassirerÆs renovated farm house studio.
For Wild as We Came Here the band augmented their sound with the addition of
drums and keyboards. This subtle change expanded their sonic palette, adding a
singer-songwriter element to their string band sound. It was not a major shift
for the Wheels, as they remain firmly rooted in their Blue Ridge heritage, but
it contributes emotional textures that flesh out the deeper concerns in Trent
WaglerÆs lyrics. Eric BrubakerÆs fiddle playing is a piece of inspired alchemy,
as he almost single-handedly keeps the listener entrenched in the bandÆs rural
landscape even as the songs tackle weighty matters.
ôRecording with Sam was a wonderful experience,ö Brian Dickel said after their
euphoric show in Charlottesville, Virginia. The bass player added, ôWe went in
with about forty songs to choose from, and we were able to pare that down pretty
quickly.ö
Trent Wagler, lead singer and chief songwriter for the Wheels agreed. ôWe had
toured with Josh Ritter and gotten to know Sam through that experience. You have
to have a lot of trust to turn the keys over to somebody else. He was very laid
back, but driven, with a great eye for detail. He was always very focused.ö
That trust, and KassirerÆs input, helped the band quickly arrive at the ten
tracks that made the final cut. ôWe probably could go in the studio right now
and make another record,ö Wagler said, referring to the unreleased material. One
of those songs, a stunning instrumental entitled ôThe ArchitectÆs Daughter,ö was
in the set list at The Jefferson Theater and features a brilliant display of
mandolin playing by Jay Lapp. The audience in Charlottesville ate it up.
The ensemble playing of the Steel Wheels has never sounded better. There is an
undercurrent of joy in the new recording, even though the subject matter isnÆt
always happy. The title track, a piece about preserving the environment for the
next generation, is at its core a lament for one of the battles lost.
ôIt is based on a book I read,ö Wagler said. ôI donÆt introduce the song with
that story, because the piece is written in a way to be open to interpretation.ö
As it stands, the song could be about anything, from losing the family farm to
concerns about pipelines and unrestrained, predatory commerce.
ôBroken Mandolinö contrasts the decay of urban structures with the resilience of
the natural world. ôThis used to be a shop where you could turn in your tin
cans,ö Wagler sings. ôNow flowers grow up in the sidewalk, like they can see and
hear, and talk the talk and walk the walk.ö
When asked what the bandÆs Mennonite upbringing contributes to their muse,
Wagler responds, ôA sense of community. And harmony singing.ö Both of those
elements are in abundance with this band and on this album as the band balances
its secular music with its gospel influences. WaglerÆs singing is particularly
engaging, a soothing voice laced with just enough grit to lend an edge to his
lyrical observations.
ôScrape Me Off the Ceiling,ö the first single, is a buoyant, upbeat number built
around WaglerÆs simple banjo; Jay Lapp, Brian Dickel, and Eric Brubaker joining
in to create anticipation for what is to follow. Around the two-minute mark,
DickelÆs haunting back up cry is a signal call to the mountain life they love,
and serves as a reminder that this band knows where it comes from, and where its
heart remains.
The closing track, ôTill No One is Free,ö is as gorgeous a piece of singing as
the band has ever put to tape. The choir-like vocals elevate the struggle of
faith and doubt, even as the central character is on the losing end. It is one
of those songs that draws you in and wonÆt let you go.
As always, the engine that drives the Steel Wheels is their attention to detail,
especially in the songwriting department. There isnÆt a fluff piece anywhere on
the album, just ten solid tracks of beautifully imagined singing and playing.
Take the trip into the wild with these guys, but beware, you may never want to
come back.