There seems to be an undignified rush these days to brand everything vaguely rootsy as Americana, even though you would be hard pushed to find two people who can fully agree on what such a label even means. But if such a move is an attempt to reflect American life, culture, history, and more, in music which quintessentially reflects a sense of that country today, All Hat No Cattle appears to be a more reflective sonic take on those things, capturing its spirit, history, and sense of self, via a more traditional sound.
Opener “Antietam” feels like a response to The Band’s “The Night They Drove All Dixie Down,” a vocal-led, harmony-rich Civil War folk song reflecting one of the country’s darkest chapters. And like them, it brings together a wonderful array of modern sonics, traditional style, and historical storytelling. And it is this blend of now and then, what was and what is, that defines this glorious album.
“Cities” is a lovely flourish of Latin-infused acoustica, a love/hate letter to the complexities of urban existence; “Trouble” sees them in an early country-rock ‘n’ roll groove; and “Hungry Ghosts” has a lush, shimmering, and charming 70’s feel.
What makes All Hat No Cattle work so well is that it is not trying to mimic the past but celebrate it. It doesn’t plagiarise or plunder past glories, but echoes of iconic music makers can certainly be heard. This is certainly not an exercise in simple nostalgia, more a reminder, as we rush headlong into a trolly dash for future sounds, that there are still very rich sonic seams to be mined in music that has gone before. Those stories are anything but finished.
The sound of the past taking root in the present to inform the future…how great is that?
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