Back in January Drive-By Truckers dropped an incredibly timely album, The Unraveling, which examined current American life, addressing topics such as children in prison at the border and mass shootings via direct lyrics and excellent musicality. Amazingly, less than ten months later, inspired by these unprecedented times, one of the greatest acts at chronicling our modern American struggle has done it again with the sudden release of The New OK.
The record starts off with the title effort moving along a dark late-era Tom Petty vibe with social consciousness as glowing guitars and gorgeous piano work from Jay Gonzalez brighten a tale of what unfortunately seems like everyday trauma in 2020. While recent albums from the Truckers have benefited from having both songwriters Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley share the load evenly, The New OK finds Hood writing the majority of tracks, inspired as his new hometown of Portland, OR deals with amplified traumatic times.
The waltzing “Tough To Let Go” questions life love and loss around killer horn work, warm organ and restrained six-string soloing. The musicality brings to mind that Muscle Shoals sound (which Hood’s father David was such a big part of on bass) but the group really digs into that soul influence for “Sea Island Lonely”. Ghosts of Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett float among the slinky groove that could set out on the tide forever as it gorgeously gets the head bobbing and hips swaying around the only non-political track.
Those lyrics are the exception though as the upbeat post-punk of “The Perilous Night” bubbles and bounces while sarcastically saying Amen to fascism on the rise, cars cutting down protesters and Red Square shining in the White House; it is a dance party at the end of the world with splashes of the Talking Heads mixed in.
“The Unraveling” kicks up that angsty punk feeling as does the groups spot-on cover of The Ramones “The KKK Took My Baby Away”, both are expertly sung by bass player Matt Patton who adds a new voice to the Truckers for the first time since 2011’s Go-Go Boots. That album is a good parallel to this new release as both were delivered quickly after previous records (The Big To-Do and The Unraveling) and both have a more soulful, less out and out rock focus.
Cooley’s lone contribution is a scathing tune tracing our current political situation back to a certain Alaskan lady as “Sarah’s Flame” is pushed along by Gonzalez strong organ before closing with vocal overlaps that are a bit clunky. The stomping drumming of Brad Morgan punches up “The Distance” which also brings banjo to the protest march while “Watching The Orange Clouds” captures the utter chaos of a country burning literally and figuratively, it couldn’t have been written and recorded more than a few weeks ago for this rushed (with reason) release.
“Watching The Orange Clouds” ends with Hood repeating his thesis “I’m just trying really hard to find a way/to help/to make it all better”, around whirling keyboards, haunting guitar drips and unsettling eeriness. That sums up The New OK as the band grapple with things they and we as a society never thought we would, but having a band as plugged into the struggle as DBT helps every step of the way towards a better world.
2 Responses
Do your job if you did research 7 of the songs were recorded at same t8me they did the unraveling . Also perilous night was released in 2017 its about charlottesville it says in song . Also go go boots and the big to do were recorded in the the same sessions also .
Dana C Clifton, wow your comments are incredibly pointless, and aggressive, they add nothing to the article and make you sound like an asshole, the article is perfectly fine, yes most of songs were recorded at the same time as those on the unraveling, so what?, Were they still not inspired by the times we are living through?, Nothing about what was said is wrong, it could have more detail but it is fine, the information mentioned about go go boots was fine and reasonable, I drew the exact same comparison when discussed the album with a friend, and the point you made even more makes the point valid, the extra detail is not necessary though, there is no reason to come out swinging like that about a perfectly fine article, don’t be a jerk, you comment was really unnecessary