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The great American songbook hasn't had a real curator since
Bruce Springsteen's arrival nearly 40 years ago. There's no world
champion, American-bred folkster making rounds on a
peak-of-their-career level - the holdovers, like Bob Dylan or the
Boss, have simply been doing victory laps since the '90s.
But then there's Josh Ritter, part of what could be the last
generation of great American singer-songwriters, who specialize in the
same field for which American music has become internationally heralded.
Ritter, however, has the ability to tie those well-worn
influences to a latter-day, indie folk aesthetic that continually
makes his work a lot more vital than the average twanger. He fits
more in with someone like John Darnielle or Andrew Bird
than, say, Jackson Browne.
So Runs The World Away is Ritter's seventh full-length record, and as
has come to be expected, it's a remarkably solid work with no obvious
weak points or songwriting lapses, keeping attention spans dutifully
invested through all 55 minutes. Its
biggest strength is its storytelling. Like the bookworm he is,
Ritter writes about characters instead of feelings - the album plays
like a collection of short stories, fables, and journal entries.
The
people who occupy these tracks range from Egyptian pharaohs (Curses)
to 15th century explorers (Another New World). Ritter never bothers
with the slash-and-burned ground of traditional love and heartbreak;
his songs have a level of intrigue that many singer-songwriters
fail to capture. Anyone can write about a girl, but audiences will
really start to listen if you're writing history, science fiction, and
horror.
A few of these songs are impossible not to like,
specifically the post-intro opener Change Of Time - a wistful musing
on individual purpose and of rediscovering oneself through the power
of memories. It's a concept every member of humanity has experienced,
but it's never been explained quite as precisely as Ritter manages. But
even if he was just singing gibberish, the gorgeous flick-fingered
acoustic melody and the pastoral twinges in the man's voice make the
song ensnaring all by itself.
It's easy to get caught up in Ritter's
natural knack for lyricism and forget the level of compositional
talent on display. Unlike most folk artists, he creates deep, dark,
spacious rooms for his songs to live in - it really gives an ear a lot
to take in. Producer Sam Kassirer builds the music in levels; the
percussion, jangly guitar and vocals are kept hovering above each other,
letting the sound feel big, crisp, and multifaceted all at the same
time.
There aren't too many surprises in So Runs The World Away.
But anyone familiar with Josh Ritter's musical identity knows what to
expect from the record. That said, it might very well be his best. The man
has been telling his stories for more than a decade now, but for some
reason, this particular album seems to be more effective both
musically and in the stories it tells. It's not something that will blow down the
doors of perception, but it will be something that pretty much
everyone will appreciate listening to. It's a work of
craft from a continually rewarding, continually American,
singer-songwriter.
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