Austin Lucas - Immortal Americans
by Benjamin Howarth
published: 22 / 2 / 2019
Label:
Cornelius Chapel Records
Format: CD
intro
First-rate new album from Indiana-based singer-songwriter Austin Lucas which proves to be one of the best folk/Americana records in recent memory
Much has changed for singer-songwriter Austin Lucas since the release of his last album (2016’s 'Between The Moon and the Midwest'). After twenty years, he returned to live in his hometown of Bloomington, Indiana. He found a new record label and a new romantic partner. And he tackled some of his demons, giving up drinking and embracing his love of martial arts instead. The face staring out of the cover from his new album is noticeably slimmer than the one found on earlier promo photos, a testament to a lifestyle change that led to Lucas losing over a hundred pounds. That image is a pictorial representation of a newly committed and energised songwriter. It would be unfair on his earlier work (none of which is substandard) to describe ‘Immortal Americans’ as a big step forward, but its certainly noticeably more confident and focused than his last album. That all said, it’s not like Lucas has had an easy life while he made this album. He found his hometown in a dark spot, struggling with the opiod epidemic and associated issues with HIV and homelessness. His new partner was diagnosed with cancer and Lucas became her carer while she went through chemotherapy. Those dark themes are not hidden away, but as Lucas says “Not all of this is happy stuff, but there’s hope.” Far from shrugging off his past, his news songs are steeped in it. Lucas has an interesting background – part roots music and part hardcore punk. His father, Bob Lucas, is a professional bluegrass musician best known for playing with Alison Krauss. But Austin’s first musical adventures were in Indiana’s hardcore scene and, while it’s his father’s influence that sets the musical direction, all of these songs would work equally well with loud electric guitars underneath them. For the recording itself, Lucas decamped from Bloomington to Chicago, with a backing band that included Centro-Matic’s Will Johnson (who co-produces as well as plays), his dad and his sister on backing vocals. In the recording seat was Steve Albini, whose work is predictably excellent. The whole record is recorded live and it sounds like the band have set up in the corner of your living room. Lucas’ songs have a rare immediacy – the choruses to upbeat tracks like ‘Killing Time’ stick right away, while the haunting tale of his partner’s cancer (‘The Shadow and Marie’) cuts straight to the bone. Best of all is the dynamic ‘My Mother and the Devil’, which sits somewhere between Damien Jurado and Bonnie Prince Billy in sounding like a fresh take on a classic sound. Throughout, Lucas sounds natural and unaffected. He reminds me most of Glen Hansard, and like the Oscar-winning Frames man, has a knack for writing songs that sound both personal and universal at once. This is one of the best folk/Americana records in recent memory.
Track Listing:-
1 Immortal Americans2 Killing Time
3 Happy
4 Monroe County Nights
5 My Mother and the Devil
6 Eye of an Asp
7 The Shadow and Marie
8 Between the Leaves
9 Goat and Goose
10 Shallow Inland Sea
most viewed articles
current edition
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #15- On Being Dignified and Old aka Ten Tips From Jah Wobble On How To Be Happy.Dennis Tufano - Copernicus Center, Chicago, 19/7/2024
Elliott Murphy - Interview
Wreckless Eric - Interview
Adrian Gurvitz - Interview
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #16: Living in the Minds of Strangers
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #17: Tom Robinson
Norman Rodger - Interview
Chris Spedding - Interview
Penumbra - Interview
most viewed reviews
current edition
Groovy Uncle - Making ExcusesBill Wyman - Drive My Car
Hawkestrel - Chaos Rocks
Philip Parfitt - The Dark Light
Deep Purple - =1
Ross Couper Band - The Homeroad
Jules Winchester - The Journey
John Murry and Michael Timmins - A Little Bit of Grace and Decay
Popstar - Obscene
Splashgirl and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe - More Human
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart