I think I had heard of Sturgill Simpson in passing before I watched the movie, The Dead Don’t Die (2019), which prominently features a song by Simpson at multiple points within the film. After seeing the movie, I saved this album, as I knew I wanted to listen to him a bit more. From what I recall, Sturgill’s sound is reminiscent of a Waylon Jennings or a Willie Nelson outlaw country style. This album, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music (2014), reached as high as #59 in the U.S. Billboard charts, and reached #6 on the Billboard U.S. Independent Albums chart. Comprised mostly of originals, save for two tracks, the album was generally well-received by a broad audience. I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Turtles All the Way Down” starts out with a really interesting voice that starts like a radio broadcast that eventually reverberates through space. Oh wow, the tune drops right into place with a sound that seems like it was written and recorded in a west Texas saloon, hitting messages related to religion and freedom. Oh wow, this is sweet. The tune sounds as though it’s an outlaw country soon being broadcasted in space. Great track, and I’m super stoked for the rest of the album.
Oh wow, “Life of Sin” starts off with a countdown that introduces a country rockin’ groove from the twangy space-like guitar that plays with an earthy country backdrop of acoustic guitar, bass, and drums, while Simpson’s country vocals nearly get introspective to some degree with the drawl of his voice. Oh wow, this is sweet. The electric guitar sounds like a surf rock guitar playing a country rock tune, and I’m really digging the style. Great tune.
“Living the Dream” starts out with some sliding and twangy country guitar that has a sound that nearly reminds me of The Eagles, except with a bunch more country sound. Oh wow, the backbeat in this tune is absolutely infectious. Holy smokes, the acoustic guitar comes in with some flavorful outlaw sounding licks, super sweet. Holy smokes, this electric slide guitar is super twangy, distorted, and absolutely awesome, especially as the electric organs come on to swirl behind them. Wow, awesome track.
“Voices” comes on with just Simpson’s voice in a serene manner, almost as though acting as an inner monologue to the listener, and gradually some instrumentation comes in that brings about a sound that seems to bring about a nature-esque country feeling with the gradual flowing of the instruments. Wow, great tune.
“Long White Line” starts out with a bit of a stutter step from the drums, before the electric guitar enters the tune with a bit of a stuttered galloping lick. Oh wow, this tune is sweet. There sound is reminiscent of the flourishing country rock sound of the early 1970s, though presented with a seemingly original sound. Holy smokes, the instrumental break in this tune is awesome, and keeps on giving more than you might expect. Oh wow, the same thing keeps happening in the outro of the tune as the second instrumental break keeps on giving and seemingly getting more rock and roll as the jam continues. Great track.
“The Promise” starts out with some gentle acoustic guitar, some sparse high hats in the background to keep the tune moving forward, and a bit of light drone from the delicate electric guitar. This tune seems to bring a tangible sweetness to the album, or at the very least bring an already existing sweetness to the attention of the listener. Oh wow, the bass comes into the soundscape and seems to cue in even more sweet layers to the song, with what sounds to be a light organ or possibly even orchestral strings in the background for a moment. The tune seems to strip down to a simpler sound at the end just before Simpson’s vocals bring in a chilling passion for a super pleasant finish to the track. Great tune.
“A Little Light” brings in a rockin’ country rock sound where Sturgill and the band seems to play an upbeat track, nearly as a signal for the introspective listener that the album and music is continuing. Great quick track.
Oh wow, “Just Let Go” starts out with a nearly blissful sound with the combination of the acoustic guitar, some pedal steel slide guitar, and what might be some light organs in the background. I really dig the tremelo effects on the guitar in this track, which seems to evoke more of that spacey sort of sound. Super sweet tune.
Oh wow, “It Ain’t All Flowers” begins with some reversed percussion and segues very smoothly into things from the previous track. The tune seems to build up very gradually into a tune that seems to have an outlaw country howling sound in space. Oh wow, Simpson’s vocals combined with the cosmic instrumentation reminds me a bit of Mojohand, a modern band that combines a cosmic country tune with some sweet jams. Oh wow, the extended instrumental jams hit flavors representative of both a cosmic country rock and an earthy country sound. Oh wow, the reversed bass, drums, and vocals in the latter half of the track really take this jam pretty far out there into some psychedelic territory. Wow, great jam and great track.
“Panbowl (Bonus Track)” seems to return to Earth in this bonus track with some pleasant acoustic guitar and Simpson’s country-inflected voice. Oh wow, a second acoustic guitar comes in and adds some flavorful accentuations to the melody. There’s a second vocalist harmonizing with Simpson in the background, which adds even more sweetness to the track. Oh wow, the quick strumming of the high strings on the guitar nearly pours notes into the tune like a serene waterfall of sorts. Super sweet track and a very pleasant way to wrap up this album.
Wow, I’m certainly glad I checked out this Sturgill Simpson album tonight. The album hits a wide variety of genres, becoming cosmic and even psychedelic at times, while still beating with an outlaw country heart. Often times I find it difficult to listen to modern day music, mostly because there’s so much great music I feel is undiscovered by myself in decades like the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, as rock and roll and folk music are generally my go-tos when I put music on. With that said, I very much enjoy country rock from the early 1970s, and if you enjoy country rock from the early 1970s as well, you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A