Phosphorescent’s sophomore LP, 2005′s Aw Come Aw Wry, is at its heart a folk record; albeit a folk record alternately made up of dirges, brass, waltzes, and choirs—a heady, if low-key, bouillabaisse of sound. It also remains one of my favorite releases of that year. I put this one on late night, for the first time in a good while, the other week and was immediately taken in by its production; a dreamlike sound and atmosphere rooted in the surreal. If you only know Matthew Houck via his most recent countrified work, do check out both “South (Of America)” (below) and the LP as a whole.
MP3: Phosphorescent :: South (Of America)
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Such a great album. Probably one of my top 25 or 30 of the ’00s. As good as A Hundred Times or More was, it wasn’t until “Joe Tex, These Taming Blues” and “South (of America)” that we got a glimpse of how far Houck could go as a songwriter. And he’d then go on to hit perfection with Pride.
1 | Steve July 21st, 2011 at 9:36 am“heady bouillabaisse” indeed.
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2 | Jam in the Van July 21st, 2011 at 9:38 pm