With the recent news that Drag City Records has added a majority of their catalog to streaming services, I thought that "In Pursuit of Something Interesting" could be revived with a long winded and poorly written dive into the record label's massive list of artists. For those of you unfamiliar with the Chicago based label, Drag City Records focuses on more the left of center bands. Their most recent poster child, Ty Segall, has a prolific catalog that spans many genres ranging from lo-fi garage to psychedelic to glam rock. Digging into this label will be just as much as an experience for you as it will be for me. So using the formula established in previous articles, I used chance to land on the band Loose Fur and their album Born Again In The USA.
Now, before this article I had no prior knowledge of this band, but using knowledge I had about Drag City Records, I assumed they were some sort of fringe act. Boy was I surprised when I learned Loose Fur was a side project that was comprised of Jeff Tweedy and Glenn Kotche of Wilco and producer Jim O'Rourke. After learning this, I hoped that I had a weirdo alt-country/Americana/art rock album in store for me. While this band doesn't quiet fit in with the other bands featured in the column, I thought that this album fit in with the spirit of "In Pursuit of Something Interesting."
Born Again In The USA was definitely a very interesting album to dig into. Everything starts off normally. "Hey Chicken" sounds like a typical rock 'n' roll tune. O'Rourke and Tweedy's harmonized guitars scream 70s rock in the best way possible. The lyrics to "Hey Chicken" reference some sort of bad romantic relationship that the writers had. This relationship, or composite of relationships, form on of the recurring themes on the album. The third track "Answers To Your Questions" is a quiet acoustic ballad full of scathing post breakup sentiments from the writer.
This album does a good job moving between mellow and aggressive moods. After the opening track, the the distorted guitars are quickly replaced by acoustics and everything keeps moving. The consistent tempo is what keeps Born Again In The USA from getting bogged down. The next song is almost always going to have a similar pace to the previous. Even when the album gets to its quietest moments, everything is going to keep moving.
The other theme this album explores is religion. Tweedy, Kotche, and O'Rourke have no problem making fun of religion and religious people. In fact, they dedicate a catchy little number to the ten commandments. "Thou Shalt Wilt" plays like a children's song because of the way they list and explain the commandments. An earlier song "Apostolic" is not as on the nose as "Thou Shalt Wilt" but it looks at preachers and apostles with a cynical lens. It is songs like these that showcase the trio's wit and lyrical abilities.
There is one song on this album that is an absolute masterpiece. The second to last song "Wreckroom" is an eight and a half minute surrealist journey. It features a diverse range of instrumentation that trade off the spotlight. Twinkling 12-string acoustics give way to pianos that give way to mallet percussion. The song builds and builds to a chaotic climax midway through the song where Tweedy's lyrics are punctuated by dissonant upheavals from the drums and guitars. Eventually everything fades away and all that is left is a piano/synth melody that takes the listener through the end of the song.
Over all, Born Again In The USA is a solid record. Everything feels like it was done with careful attention to detail. This album almost serves as a way to highlight the songwriters. Which only makes sense since Loose Fur was a side project started by Tweedy and Kotche to get some time away from Wilco in order explore other ideas. I'd recommend this album as something to give a listen. Its range of lighthearted tunes and angular guitar riffs has something for everyone.
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