Bartered Souls and A Crooked Brow - Furrows’ Debut Album Review

Illustration by Michael Bolls

by Chris Nolen
March 3, 2010

To Furrow is to, generally in a pained manner, wrinkle one’s forehead. This expression is so pronounced that the bunched skin resembles the parallel farming trenches, from which, the verb derives: furrows. While digesting the lyrics presented in Furrows’ self-titled debut, you imagine that Cody Cox, lead singer and songwriter, has heard that description before. It isn’t hard to suppose that, after living some of the experiences described here, the topography of one’s brow would be altered. It is a credit to the songwriting that these experiences are felt, with the mind, just as acutely as the physical expression would be noticed by the eyes.

The album is dense with well-written imagery and emotion, and starts out with Sweet Anesthesia, a twangy tale of the relief that can only come in forgetting. Cox sings, over a punchy swing rhythm, “I'll buy you a drink if you whisper in my ear. Just promise me that I won't wake up 'til sometime next year.” The initial impression is one of a strong familiar tie to the rootsy leanings of Cox’s former band, Goodman County, where he was also joined by Furrows’ bassist Barry Shannon and drummer Tony Abercrombe. But where Goodman County was more of a freewheeling amalgam of garage, punk and country, Furrows is more evolved and polished, showing a wider variety of influences.

This evolution, by design, is the result of the band seeking to enhance the immediate emotional impact with a deliberate eye toward the clarity of message. The lineup, balanced out by the musicality of Tyler Kemp on keys and the judicious guitar of Jason Daniel, gives Furrows a more layered sound. Varying from Crazyhorse-inspired Americana, to Zeppelin-style blues, the greater variety seems to have ignited something in Cox’s lyrics. There is more maturity and sophistication, that thanks to the tighter compositions and playing, rings clearer and more poignant than ever.

As evidence of the band’s strengths, this album features two of the best songs Cox has ever written. The first, Ambulance, is an absolutely lovely harmonica-punctuated waltz. The architecture of the song is remarkable, lulling the listener while it builds to a wonderfully powerful crescendo as Cox dejectedly sings “If silence is golden and these songs are lead, then loop my last weary words over my head.”

The second is Match Gone Fire, which represents perhaps the best songwriting of Cox’s career. Slowly, over sparse drums by Abercrombe, Cox lays out the case: “If I'm the building strong and you're the wrecking ball, then there's no one to blame for where this wreck came from.” His metaphor is one of several contrasting couplings describing a love that was doomed from the start. The strength of this song alone, in my opinion, makes this album a worthy purchase. It is a sophisticated and powerful piece that rivals anything going on in the national scene.

The brisk runtime of the album is rounded out by a few other noteworthy tracks, including the album’s most rocking song, the ‘60s blues-inspired romp, Drag Your Knees. The most unique and poppy track of the album, If I Was a Night, may also be its most shallow. That isn’t to say that it is bad, as it is rather catchy and listenable, but the song lacks the lyrical resonance of its neighboring tracks. Bridgeburner, featuring its majestic guitars and organs, soars with themes of regret. Appropriately, the almost spiritual nature of the instrumentation echoes as if it were being played in a cathedral ... the perfect venue for contrition. The final taste of the album comes from No Letters, a bluesy piano jam. If Sweet Anesthesia was pulling up a place at the bar, No Letters is the last call.

Furrows is an album of well-textured musical depth, as well as a high-water mark for Cox as a songwriter. Ambulance and Match Gone Fire are both so strong that it’s hard not to recommend the album on their strength alone. Luckily there is a lot more goodness to be had in addition to those. The well-crafted melodies, strong lyrics and quality production makes Furrows’ debut as easy a recommendation as I’ve made this year. Your brow may well crinkle with delight.

Furrows' all-ages cd-release party is March 12, at 7 p.m. at Sneaky Beans. Tickets are $5 in advance, $7 at the door.
http://www.myspace.com/furrowsband
Chris Nolen is an art director and writer in Jackson, MS.
noleofantastico.com

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