Melodic and soulful, the third album of indie band Deer Tick, The Black Dirt Sessions, takes your mind to the edge and back, looking out amongst wonders such as life, death, and what happens in between. Lead singer and songwriter John McCauley’s mind wanders down a worn path, picking guitar strings and strumming chords along the way.
The opening song, “Choir of Angels,” combines an old-rock electric guitar feel with the conviction of a piano playing hymn-like chords. McCauley’s voice strikes with a distinctive sense of trial. Tender with the scars of a harsh affair, he sings with a voice much older than his 24 years. The Tom Petty-esque style is tinged with despair as he calls for angels to sing him to sleep.
The next track showcases the full potential of the band with strong vocals, lyrics, and a melody that endures long past the end of the song. “Twenty Miles” begins with descending chords of a piano and guitar, each string picked as the beat sways closely to that of a footstep, following the singer as he nears closer to the place that offers him “one more chance now that time’s running thin.” McCauley’s voice becomes as much of an instrument as the guitar and piano, fading perfectly in without becoming a background to the track. The progression into the violin is fitting as his voice howls alongside, sending a sense of urgency within the telling of the song.
“Goodbye Dear Friend” slows down the pace with a piano ballad, the sparse chords echoing a drawn out farewell. McCauley’s ability to sing softly but achingly without having to scream above the instrument provides for the perfect touch to the song of how “some stories break your heart.”
The folksy sound of “Piece by Piece and Frame by Frame” serves to be more of a transition track, as McCauley slowly strums his acoustic guitar with the sound of a bitter lover singing “I love to tear apart your day.”
“The Sad Sun” brings a little variety with accompanying vocals from a female singer whose voice is light-hearted. The song is a classic sense of the album’s theme as he debates the purpose of life in light of the end, expressing annoyance in the line “never had your chance to live and it’s hard to forgive.”
Tom Petty’s influence is evident in “Mange” as the song’s old rock style builds towards a piano solo that leads well into a guitar solo. The album continues with “When She Comes Home,” a bluesy song of a discontented lover debating over whether or not to make his feelings known, and “Hand in My Hand,” a song you’d listen to on your porch while your mind wanders but your thoughts drift over theme of the lyrics. The rest of the songs follow closely to a similar tone, finishing with “Christ Jesus” as McCauley’s voice breaks on the last words of a song played on an old piano, begging the questions of uncertainty.
Deer Tick incorporates its folksy and blues sound with lyrics that are sung by a fitting voice of intimacy and heartbreak. A force to be reckoned with, the band proves in The Black Dirt Sessions that it’s worth skipping over bands Metric or AFI at Lollapalooza-drop by Deer Tick’s stage and hear the tales of a soul much older than just 24 years.[email protected]
