[rating=9.00]
With the release of 2013’s Time Off, Brooklyn-based guitarist and musician’s musician Steve Gunn expounded upon his years of collaboration – raga/blues experimentation with drummer John Truscinski; biting improvisational rock with Cian Nugent; and psychedelic folk with the members of Hiss Golden Messenger – to produce a cohesive yet varied, at times sprawling album.
The twist here is that in all of Gunn’s previous work, whether as a member of Kurt Vile’s backing band The Violators or playing alongside Nathan Bowles and the Black Twig Pickers, his role was that of instrumental master and American Primitivist guru. With Time Off, Gunn demonstrates an ability to pen moody, introspective lyrics and deliver them with skill and emotion.
Enter this year’s Way Out Weather. With his 2014 release, Gunn further pursues his vision of acoustic Primitivism smattered with electric drone. No one can deny that he is a fascinating guitarist with exceptionally skillful fretwork. What is striking, however, is the exponential growth that Gunn has undergone since his 2013 debut as a vocalist. The album strikes a perfect balance with a backwards glance towards the acoustic folk blues that Gunn first became known for (with albums like Sundowner and Boerum Palace), and the second side focusing on polyrhythmic world fusion, electrified pedal steel and driving, straight-ahead rock.
Along with the expansion of his skills as songsmith, the guitarist’s sound points towards a broadening of his sonic palette. 2013’s Time Off saw a focus on the power trio of Gunn on guitars, John Truscinski on drums & traps, and Justin Tripp on bass. Way Out Weather sees the return of this core, but here the tracks are beautifully augmented by sliding pedal steel, gentle harp, Appalachian banjo and a variety of other instruments which color the soundscape.
If nothing else, what is truly remarkable about Steve Gunn’s new album is the magnificent poise and direction that flows through the compositions. Even in the midst of swirling guitar through a Leslie speaker, drums augmented by synthesized augmentation, vibraphones, harp and banjo, the songs almost never stumble or stagnate. Indeed, even while the singer bemoans “wind so bad, the birds won’t move, they’re hanging in the air,” each tune moves confidently forward towards its satisfying resolution.
Beginning to end, the album presents a great pleasure as a listening experience, with each repeated listening yielding new gems. Without a doubt, this is the best release of the last quarter of 2014; each time the second side ends, the last question on the listener’s lips is “What will Steve Gunn do next?”
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