Canadian based folk-rocker Dallas Green—also known as City and Colour—attempts to reach new depths on his fifth release, If I Should Go Before You. He introduces themes of mortality—a common theme for singer-songwriters—to his folk-fuzz-inspired sound. In order to distinguish himself from inadvertently exploring the same tropes as other artists within the genre, Green attempts to contextualize his fears of mortality within a relationship, hence the title of the album.
Green hits the hardest immediately in the very beginning of the album. The musical sound of City and Colour on the record is rarely better than when Green can play with his touring band. Having those very talented musicians in studio amplifies the best parts of Green’s compositions.
With an experimental start, Green utilizes psychedelic influences, powerful electric guitars and echoing drums to create the nearly nine minute opus, “Woman.” Ethereal and driving, “Woman” evokes similarities to the best compositions of artists like Justin Vernon, Blessed Feathers, Sharon Van Etten and Sufjan Stevens through Green’s moody, somber and powerful vocals as well as his introspective lyricism. Unfortunately, following “Woman,” the remainder of the album fails to reach the heights set by its first track.
The rest of If I Should Go Before You highlights a problem within the singer-songwriter genre as a whole and a definite issue with Dallas Green’s work. After experimenting with “Woman,” Green returns to the songwriting format that he is accustomed to working with, which ends up creating a diminishing return on enjoyment. As opposed to continuing the example set by Justin Vernon and company, Green regresses and the body of work produced creates a pleasant, yet very homogenous listening experience. Songs like “Northern Blues,” “Killing Time,” “Friends” and “Map Of The World” are occasionally difficult to distinguish from one another as they follow a similar song structure and hit the same emotional points. The worst offender is “Map Of The World” with its generic sounding blues-inspired pop style, which could be easily mistaken for a song off of a John Mayer or David Gray album. Aggressively bland, the vaguely blues-inspired licks of the songs following “Woman” inspire no real emotion, as the pained and reflective lyrics are drowned out by overpowering blues pap.
Despite the adventurous approach that Green takes to “Woman,” the rest of If I Should Go Before You falls into the trap of chronic repetitiveness. This repetition ultimately makes City and Colours’ latest offering very forgettable. If I Should Go Before You is pleasant at best and milquetoast at worst.
Grade: C+
