Sometimes revolutions begin quietly.
In 1988, Cowboy Junkies proved that there was an audience waiting for something quiet, beautiful and reflective. The Trinity Session was like a whisper that cut through the noise – and it was compelling. It stood out in the midst of the flash and bombast that came to define the late 80’s. The now classic recording combined folk, blues and rock in a way that had never been heard before and went on to sell more than a million copies.
Anyone who has been following Cowboy Junkies’ three decade-long journey knows the band has always traveled on its own path. From the auspicious debut of Whites Off Earth Now and the subsequent international breakthrough with The Trinity Session, to the group’s Nomad Series of themed albums (2010-2012), Cowboy Junkies have never let music business trends dictate where the band was headed.
With Cowboy Junkies’ new album, All That Reckoning (out July 13), the band once again gently shakes the listener to wake up. Whether commenting on the fragile state of the world or on personal relationships, this new collection of songs encourages the listener to take notice. It also may be the most powerful album Cowboy Junkies have yet recorded.
While the music is characteristically easy to listen to, the songs on All That Reckoning are visceral. In true Junkies fashion, the gentleness is juxtaposed with rock that can be jarring. Today Glide is premiering the new video for “The Things We Do To Each Other”, one of the standout tracks on All That Reckoning. The gloomy rocker offers up a blunt statement in its first verse: “Fear is not so far from hate, so if you get the folks to fear, it only takes one small twist to kick it up a gear.” The music accompanies footage of riots, protests other acts of violence. While there is no denying the grim political and social commentary in the song, the lyrics and the music actually seem to offer a touch of hope. The footage changes to clips of unity and strength, displaying a sort of visual yin and yang before ending the song with a refreshingly optimistic guitar solo.
GuitaristMichael Timmins explains the theme of the song and the video:
“It is the oldest tactic in the playbook of social control. Create a culture of fear and then begin to manipulate that fear to distract, divert and divide. Unfortunately, the end result is that fear usually turns to hate and hate is a human emotion that is impossible to predict and control.”
WATCH:
Cowboy Junkies release All That Reckoning on July 13. For more music and info visit cowboyjunkies.com.
