New Dylans - Meta

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 22 / 7 / 2015

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Review

It has taken Jim Reilley and Reese Campbell twenty years to follow up their last album as the New Dylans, (1995’s ‘The American Way’) and, despite being championed by the likes of Michael Stipe and Richie Havens in the past, at first glance it seems that by releasing an album that runs to eighteen songs and clocks in at just under an hour they might just be testing the listener’s patience. At a period in time when more people than ever have the attention span of a goldfish when it comes to listening to music, sixty minutes in one sitting from the same band is a big ask. In reality all that is needed is the fifteen minutes it takes to get through the first three songs on ‘Meta’ because if by that time you haven’t been smitten by the infectious alt. folk-rock that this band produce you don’t really appreciate well-crafted music anyway. The New Dylans came together in 1985 in Warren, Pennsylvania. The duo of Reilley and Campbell were joined by John Lombardo and Jerome Augustyniak of 10,000 Maniacs (and let’s not forget those early 90's albums Lombardo made as part of John & Mary that are still waiting for the acclaim that should have come their way back then) for a six-track EP which was more than warmly received and led to Michael Stipe confessing that the New Dylans were one of his favourite bands. The band didn’t cut a full-length album until 1993 (Warren Piece) and took a further two years to follow that up with ‘The American Way’, but, despite glowing reviews and extensive tours, the band broke up before releasing another album although demos were made of new material in 1996. Neither Reilley or Campbell deserted music during the two decades between ‘The American Way’ and ‘Meta’; Reilly’s songs have been recorded by Tim O’Brien, Hal Ketchum, Jack Ingram and Vince Gill to name but a few. His music can be heard in several soundtracks and he released a couple of well-received solo albums. Campbell was also busy, forming the Billups (alternatively called the Hopheads) with John Lombardo and Scott Miller before starting a new project, the Modified Nuns, and releasing an album under this name. But now, finally, Reilly and Campbell are making music together again. With the help of Ken Coomer on drums (Wilco, Uncle Tupelo) and bassist Chris Autry (Jo Dee Messina, Colin Raye) and with a few other friends contributing (including Tim O’Brien on mandolin and Roy Agee on trombone among others), the duo once again have produced an album that, while diverse, hangs together extremely well considering the running time because they obviously have lost none of the talent they displayed way back then for writing and performing thoughtful, melodic folk/rock music. Eighteen tracks seems a lot to get through, but, in fact, a few are so short they shouldn’t really be included in that tally. Track three is ‘Betadine’ which begins as a gorgeous, sparse ballad. It’s a haunting piece of work, brilliantly produced (by Reilley and Eric Fritsch) and when Reilley’s guitar bursts in it really is spectacular. But then a couple of songs later we get 27 seconds of ‘Betadine Reprise’ which although it emphasises the twisted beauty of the song serves little purpose placed where it is in the running order. In fact all it achieves where it’s placed is a longing to hear a full instrumental version of the song. ‘P’ville’ is another short piece, one and half minutes of ghostly piano played out in a deserted western bar. It is again a pleasant enough diversion but why? The 39 seconds of ‘Noisebomb’, which flows into ‘Little Brother’ makes more sense, but why not just make it part of the actual song? The 58 seconds of ‘Little Brother Reprise’ again makes some kind of sense, the ghostly vocals expanding on the main song, but why put it two songs down the line? The closing ‘Little Brother Rag’ is another short (1min 12 seconds) self-explanatory interpretation which I’m sure the band have their reasons to include but which does little for the listener. So, for once, maybe the CD version of ‘Meta’ is the one to go for rather than the vinyl so the listener can easily program out those minor annoyances and appreciate the album for what it is; a collection of well- executed folk/rock tunes that are perfectly performed and produced. The opening ‘Camel through a Needle’ has an almost Crazy Horse vibe about it. There are echoes of The Band and yes, even REM in there. It’s a heady brew for sure and addictive, one of those songs that you want to hear again as soon as it’s finished. Reilley’s guitar playing is particularly stunning. But as soon as the second track, ‘Frick And Frack’, the band reveal that there’s more than one side to the New Dylans. Keyboard-dominated and taken at a slower pace it highlights that the band can take a diversion into more experimental yet thoughtful territory and still come out on top. ‘Blue Sky Sweet Midsummer Nightmare’ injects a little light power-pop into their sound, as does ‘Fresno Beach’ which sounds like the Beach Boys would have in 1965 had Mike Love or Carl Wilson gargled with pebbles on the morning of the session. That’s the beauty of ‘Meta’; there are no two tracks that sound the same yet they still share a lot of common ground. If you like your folk/rock with more than a little depth you’ll find much to love here. Reilley’s guitar playing really is exceptional even when it’s buried deep in the mix under Campbell’s keyboard contributions, and the album is one of the classiest you’ll hear all year. If only the New Dylans had made ‘Meta’ a thirteen tracker it would have been album of the month round these parts.

Track Listing:-

1 Camel Through a Needle
2 Frick and Frack
3 Betadine
4 Fog Line
5 Blue Sky Sweet Midsummer Nightmare
6 Betadine Reprise
7 Colorado City
8 Complicated
9 P'ville
10 Ring of Glass
11 Fresno Beach
12 Noisebomb
13 Little Brother
14 Heather Place
15 Low Hanging Fruit
16 Little Brother Reprise
17 It's Over
18 Little Brother Rag

Band Links:-

http://thenewdylans.com/
https://twitter.com/thenewdylans
https://twitter.com/BuddyCruel