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a r t i s t : Davenport
t i t l e : Free Country
d a t e : 2005
l a b e l : Last Visible Dog LVD 078
g e n r e : Folk
r l s. d a t e : Jan/2006
t r a c k s : 11
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 83,3 MB
_______________________________________________________________________
half of the album was previously released as a limited CDR on
Foxglove Digitalis (2004).
"In what may perhaps be the most incredible release this year,
Clay Ruby and company serve up another heaping helping of
backwoods skronk and mountainous wail. Dispersing the delicious
drone-folk ditties of the original Foxglove CD-R release
amongst the banshee wailing of unreleased zombie spirituals,
'Free Country' provides the perfect balance of structure and
freedom. What we are left with is probably the most cohesive,
yet also the most demented item in the Davenport canon.
Beginning with an unreleased song, 'Joy! By Numerals Act'
introduces us and sets the pace for the remainder of the album.
A harmonium drone carries us along while a mournful guitar line
strays overtop. The atmosphere turns rather sinister when a
voice explains 'I been goin' to funerals all my life' and that
'we are preaching our own funeral as we go through this life.'
He's answered with a resounding 'Amen!' A flute and bell show
us the way through to the other side, and as we reach the end
the music builds to a tense crescendo, becoming almost
ceremonial. Have we just witnessed a funeral? Was it our own?
Thankfully, we're led back to something a little more familiar
and a little less sinister. 'Thou Must be Waking' is a track
from the original Foxglove release, and is a campfire
sing-along with a communal vibe. Guitar and violins interplay
while a chorus of lost souls sings and stomps their way to
retribution. This is quite possibly the most beautiful thing
Davenport have ever put to tape. In ôThe Light Ahead, The Dead
Fields Behind,ö a group of spirits are heading on their way to
meet the creative force. Clattering percussion and scraping
sounds propel call and response vocals towards the light. One
wonders whether this is a work song or spiritual improvised by
the undead.
'Free Country' and 'Hymn to Broken Neck Bone' are country-drone
masterpieces, with violin, lap steel, chimes, percussion,
rainstorm field recordings and moaning vocals setting a
mournful yet uplifting scene. This truly is free-country! 'The
Fool's Organ' sounds as if an extraterrestrial lounge singer
with a drum machine fetish recorded it specifically to quell
resistance to an impending attack on the Earth.
Electronic hiss plays off chirping birds and mournful bells on
the relatively short 'The Crowned and Conquering Children Dirt
Pour', but we're treated to more of that beautiful
guitar/violin interplay when 'Taking on the Rails' begins. The
guitar completely takes over on the slow dirge, 'Play it Once,
Sam', almost completely drowning out the violin. The titles of
the final two songs, 'Psychedelic Underground' and 'Sensations
in Sound' perfectly describe the music contained therein. The
former is a shamanic stomp, while the latter features
manipulated vocals, creating an otherworldly effect as an organ
buzzes underneath.
It's encouraging to see that Davenport's music is starting to
be released in greater quantities, as it seems that Clay Ruby
has a bottomless pit of great musical ideas to share with us;
I'm excited to see what's to come from the prolific Davenport
empire. 'Free Country' serves as a signifier, urging us further
into the world of Davenport, and at least for myself, it's done
just that." (Bryon Hayes)
_______________________________________________________________________
01-Joy! By Numerals Act [07:13]
02-Thou Shall Be Waking [06:11]
03-The Light Ahead, The Dead Fields Behind [05:07]
04-Free Country [09:54]
05-Hymn To The Broken Neck Bone [10:55]
06-The Fool's Organ [08:05]
07-The Crowned And Conquering Children Dirt Pour [03:02]
08-Taking On The Rails [03:10]
09-Play It Once, Sam [04:11]
10-Psychedelic Underground [13:01]
11-Sensations In Sound [03:32]
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74:21 min