Withered Hand – Good News
A huge number of people I know in Edinburgh engaged in making what I guess you’d loosely call alt-folk seem to be refugees from a metal past. I don’t get it. How in the hell do you go from listening to death metal to wanting to make music that sounds like this?
I remember Religious Songs being one of the first songs I ever played on Fresh Air Radio. It was early enough that my Mum was still listening to the shows (that lasted about two weeks) and she specifically emailed in to say how much she loved the song and all I can remember thinking is ‘you weren’t really listening to the words, were you Mum.’
Oddly enough, that minute little exchange seems to encapsulate Withered Hand, for me, and I’m not sure why. I think it’s just because Dan Willson, despite being one of the most straightforward people you could ever meet, might just be incredibly enigmatic.
Musically, this record is utterly simple. There’s nothing ground-breaking being done with songwriting, arrangement or structure here, is just eleven songs of plain vanilla songwriting. But then, the band is a stable four-piece of acoustic (mostly) guitar, banjo, cello and drums which is not as straightforward as all that.
Lyrically, it’s hard to say why Good News is not a depressing album. The lyrics encompass existentialist bleakness, troubled relationships with religion and what can at the very kindest be described as self-esteem issues. But it never comes across as pompous, self-indulgent or miserable and I haven’t really been able to figure out why. Sure, there is also a lot of warmth and wit to be found, and these act as a brilliant antidote, but that doesn’t seem to answer the whole question, I don’t think.
Dan can’t really sing, either. His voice quavers and breaks… and is somehow gorgeous to listen to. He has none of the attributes you would think of in a front-man, but that just doesn’t matter. This band is his band in every sense, and there is something about it which therefore makes him the perfect front man.
The group themselves look like someone plucked them from the rejects bin in a toy shop: drummer Alan with his skinny waistcoat, wobbling quiff and languid manner; Hannah on cello with her bizarre and yet strangely perfect sartorial choices, and her wee coloured stickers up the neck of her instrument which I think she put there to help her learn the notes to the songs; baldy banjo muppet Neil in his pointy indie-slippers; and then Willson himself: straggly hair, surprised smile and a guitar decorated like Jennifer Aniston’s waistcoat in Office Space. They’re weird. And it works.
And I think I know why it works: everything about this project, this band, has perfect integrity. This album has not one single contrived thing about it, and it shows through clear as day. Everything here is that way because Willson and his band are just like that. So to come back, somewhat cheesily, to the title of one of the songs on Dan’s previous EP: R U Courageous. And I think it’s fair to say that this record shows unequivocally that he is. It’s all just out there for us to enjoy, or not, judge or not, ignore or not, not dressed up in artifice, not smothered in oblique lyrics, and not forced on us as if the writer thought it was crucial that we hear it.
It just comes across as Willson saying ‘Hello, this is me, here I am.’ with no urgent compulsion that we pay attention, but with the unassuming courage not to hide anything to make himself look better or more interesting, and as such has made one of the most uplifting, personal, compelling records I’ve heard in years. In a somewhat contradictory sense, Good News just makes me smile, all the way through, even the sad songs.
Withered Hand – Love in the Time of Ecstasy
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believe it or not john darneille from the mt goats loves metal. the guy from songs ohia plays metal dressed up as accoustic folk and makes me think he listened to a lot of it. if they listened to punk would you find the jump any more understandable? and i’ll bet you dollars to donuts the smog guy listened to a lot of metal. metal gets no respect i tell ya, no respect.
Are you saying that Dan’s guitar is totally covered in stuff or that it exhibits the minimum amount of flare required?
I just want to make sure your comparison is accurate.
And did you know that if you google image search Withered Hand, the one and only ‘related search’ it suggests is Jeremy Beadle?
I don’t think it’s funny but you are bound to
Love In The Time Of Ecstasy was for me, probably the most captivating performance at Homegame earlier this year.
And my copy of the album still hasn’t arrived.
I think Dan’s guitar exhibits a perfectly adequate amount of flair.
Chris – I never listened to metal and I am starting to feel like I really missed out – maybe I just wasn’t angry or alienated enough as a child. Either way, I really have almost no desire whatsoever to make up for lost time, although a metal podcast might be fun.
it’s funny, when i heard the song ‘new dawn’ i was reminded of a metal song that referenced music in a similar way. that song is pure metal; in the way neutral milk hotel is metal. if anything though, these guys should completely eshew better production – it will kill them.
Well the Religious Songs EP is categorical proof that this music simply has no need for expensive outside involvement of any kind – it would simply be a waste of money and wouldn’t improve the sound in the slightest.
This is a great album whatever the circumstances.
Not heard any of Withered Hand before. Love in the Time of Ecstacy is really really good! I thought the 2nd song here is maybe too similar sounding to my ears. Didn’t grab me…by the heart….But wow. I want to check out the rest.
I have checked out some more. I like. Hardon song was particularly good methoughts.
Hard On is actually a Charles Latham song, who is a friend of Dan’s and also well worth checking out.
Haven’t stopped playing it since it arrived on Monday. I absolutely love it. What is in the water in Edinburgh right now, so many good bands going about, doing there own thing with no air of pretension, it nearly makes me want to move east.
Excellent excellent stuff. Yes! Two excellents.
I’m surprised by how different this new version of I Am Nothing sounds from the EP version. Dan’s voice is much more front-and-center now isn’t it? It works really well. Is this the one that Kramer fiddled with perchance? Sounds quite good.
Well everything was re-recorded from scratch for this album, so all the old songs sound new.
Drew – definitely agree. There aren’t many primadonnas in Edinburgh at the moment, which makes it a nice place to be, musically. It only takes a couple though…
I need to save my moneys to buy this. Dan is da best.
Oooh, can I help do the metal podcast? Sounds hilarious.
This really is a rather special record. It has the same bittersweet feelgood vibe I get when I see them live.
I also agree with others who prefer the earlier recordings, with the band more in the mix, but at the same time it’s good to have new versions that make the album sound like a united whole.
Incidentally there are a lot of ex-metallers in the pop industry, writing subversive (i.e. inappropriately filthy) ditties for young popstrels e.g. Christina Aguilera’s Genie in a Bottle (ok that was a while ago but you get what I’m saying).
I think it was on the Fanfarlo blog that I saw a discussion of how those boys also are huge black metal fans and if I remember correctly also played quite a bit of it as well. Someone look it up for me? (on the phone here, sorry)
And I’ll tell you something… from far away over here, something in this Dan Wilson character seeps through the ether with which I’ve become quite intoxicated. First a song here and then one sent to me and another on DC’s show and some YouTube video and it all adds up to simple unadulterated charisma. You could wrap that man in bacon and have him sing Happy Birthday and he would still be beautiful in his own way. (that’s not meant to take away from the enormous talent and work he puts into it) you just want to be in a room hearing him play music, ok preferably the music from this record.
Some writers try to describe this thing by relying on appearences or on some inner spiritual state or intellectual acheivement. But I think it’s unexplainable beyond what Matthew has nailed down here as authenticity. I find the same thing in Scott of Frightened Rabbit, an unassuming authenticity. It’s there in many people who end up onstage. Unfortunately they are more often than not obscured by the idiots who think they can create charisma by acting as if they had some.
I was going to ask about the ‘I Am Nothing’ versions, but as that has been done, I’ll just say: SL Records have/have had some cracking ol’ bands.
Christ Tart, Fanfarlo? Not a very good band. But yep, Dan is a special talent alright, and a fucking lovely guy. Actually, put it like that and I think I’m starting to hate him, actually.
Milo, seriously? So they reckoned that the money just wasn’t there in dittysome death metal tunes and that someone else might just better benefit from their knack with a gay disco dancehall anthem?
not yet mentioned i think, is just what a good lyricist willson is – in that respect, religious songs is equal to the best of john darnielle’s work – there is the same ‘everyday, but completely authentic detail’ in their work, and genuinely clever wordplay
my favourite record of the year by a country mile.
What is it with Edinburgh bands and adding tons of reverb on vocals? This isn’t the worst example but it’s still a bit much to my ears.
Otherwise this is pretty ace.
I’ve listened to Love in the time of Ecstacy about 4 times this morning. Lovely.
zenm – yes, I kind of brushed over that a little quickly didn’t I, although I completely agree. His deft lyrical touch is presumably why he can talk about the afterlife without sounding portentous, or write lines like ‘maybe the world would be better without me’ without sounding like he’s wallowing in self-pity. That’s not an easy trick to pull off, by any means, but Dan does make it look pretty easy. As I said, the humour has a lot to do with it, but also the small everyday details, which make even the big stuff seem quite small scale and personal.
Have to agree with Tim about the reverb on the vocals.
I think I Am Nothing in particular sounds better with the drier sound from the Religious Songs EP than this new version, but I don’t know if that’s down to the original recording or Kramer’s tinkering.
I couldn’t tell you, but Pete from the Leg and Neil from Meursault recorded it, and you know how much Neil loves his vocal reverb. Having said that, I’ve never know him add it before the mixing stage, so it could well be Kramer instead. Honestly, though, I just don’t know.
It’s not that I hate reverb on any vocals, on this though it’s always nagging away at me for some reason – perhaps because it’s not really long or really short, I think it detracts from what is otherwise a pretty comfortable listen (testament to some deft song writing there given some of the lyrical content).
Don’t want to come across as though I don’t like this, it’s really good and I’m really keen on Withered Hand – there’s just not much positive I can add that hasn’t been said a million times before ’round here.
Given that Kramer is famous for using reverb on pretty much everything I’d say it was safe to say it’s down to his post prod mastering.
Withered hand is amazing, and so is this album.
I entirely agree with Matthew, the reason that Dan and his lot work so well is the fact that it isn’t at all contrived. Whenever I’ve listened to Withered Hand I’ve always felt that Dans really putting himself out there, I think it’s the way he lyrically wears his heart on his sleeve.
I love this album, I think it’s beautifully put together.
Woohoo! It’s arrived!!
Thank fuck for that.
I know. Balance has been restored toThe Force.
Actually, if this album had been available a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, perhaps young Anakin might have been able to work put his issues in an altogether less aggressive manner, saving everyone an enormous nuisance.
“Weed? Alt-folk? A Jedi craves not these things.”
…you use long words….
I don’t know if I’m on my third or fourth run through of the album now, it’s just been on repeat since I opened the package.
It may be redundant to say it after everyone else, but fuck it’s good.
It is, isn’t it. It’s not even anything to do with me, but I am feeling full of pride nonetheless. Good old Dan!
I feel special for having been there from the beginning, and I don’t mean special needs, and i don’t mean I was there at Dan’s birth – that would just be weird.
Yeah Matthew, they honed their songwriting skills in metal bands and then earned huge amounts of money writing AWESOME AND NOT AT ALL GAY IN ANY WAY pop tunes. Good on em I say. Now where’s that form the devil was waving about..
I got so carried away I ended up with two copies and they are both fantastic
Just finally figured out how right up my alley this fella is. Wonderful, wonderful stuff. Now waiting impatiently for my copy to arrive. Am obsessed.