With their 10th studio release, Georgia natives Drive-By Truckers stick to what they know best—Southern rock that sounds like it belongs on an abandoned train track. English Oceans, released March 4, creates a nice balance between alternating lead singers and co-founders Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley.
Much of the album revolves around destructive and dysfunctional relationships, beginning with the second track, “When He’s Gone.” In a classic nasally twang, the chorus repeats, “She can’t stand to have him around/But she always misses him when he’s gone.”
“Pauline Hawkins” is a plea for independence. “Don’t call me your baby/I won’t answer/Love is like cancer/And I am immune.” With standard drum breaks, electric guitar riffs and clever—if slightly harsh—lyrics, this track could easily belong on either a rock or country album. But it suddenly slows into a piano break with a throbbing guitar synth at the moment a typical song would end. After roiling around for a bit, the drums and guitar pick up the driving melody again for a final outro. The concept is actually pretty cool but the trick outlasts its initial novelty.
“The Part of Him” tells the story of a corrupt politician and expresses frustration with recent political scandals. Hood sings, “His integrity was phony and totally Nixonian/Honing in the art of making deals.” For such serious subject matter, the track sounds like a lighthearted part country hoedown, part bluegrass music festival.
“Hanging On,” by far the sparsest song on the album, describes leaving the comfort and ease of home. The deep, haunting voice is only accompanied by guitar, emphasizing the loneliness of trying to make it on your own and to hang onto life. The singer urges “so you move to higher ground/And set some deep roots down/And try to get a grip on everything.”
“When Walter Went Crazy” provides the other perspective on someone going through a hard time. In the song, friends have to watch powerlessly as their friend gives up and destroys the rest of his life. In the end, the song relates, “The lights came up, we all went home, but never quite the same.”
The final track, “Grand Canyon,” was written about Craig Lieske, longtime tour member and the man the band dedicated the whole album to, according to Drive-By Truckers’ press release. The core of the song is driving and uplifting, promising a strong ending. But once again, just as the perfect end to the song passes, a rolling electric guitar breaks it down into supernatural sirens before fading out with drum fills. The song is a beautiful tribute and a nice way to say farewell, however it serves as a weak ending for the album.
With strong lyrics and solid musicality the album is a nice listen, but not anything that stands out.
Rating: B-
