The disc gets off to a great
start with “Everything Was Fine,” a lively country tune, sounding like
something that would be played at that mythic roadside bar where angels and
demons dance and drink together. This song takes place in California, with the
backdrop of fire. I know it seems like a hundred years ago at this point, but
in 2018 and 2019 California was on fire. Remember that? Before the pandemic,
before that racist narcissist Donald Trump had peaceful protesters tear-gassed
so he could pose with a bible held upside down, before this foul year of 2020
began, things were pretty bad. “We’re all
getting out, but there’s nowhere to go/Running out of water, our reserves are
getting low.” One thing I love about this song is that idea of acting like things
are fine when they certainly are not. But what this song is really about is
being on the road, and the loneliness and the troubles that come along with
that, with lines like “A flat tire in Redding
and it could’ve been worse/The car just keeps on running, it’s a blessing, it’s
a curse.” The song also mentions North Hollywood, where I’ve made my home
for a while, and where I’ve been stuck since the beginning of the pandemic. “Everything
Was Fine” is followed by “Howlin’ Sober At The Moon,” the first line of which
made me laugh out loud: “I’m a little
intense, I’ll give you that.” Yet, there is something rather sweet about
this song. Perhaps it’s partly due to the work on mandolin, but also to lines
like “You can put your hand in mine”
and “I hope I see you soon.” Then “Hell
Is A Hard Place” comes on strong, the band driving stakes into the ground to
mark its territory. And check out these opening lines: “Hell is a hard place to take a man/Just to prove a point/You’re sitting
there with my dreams in your hands.”
As “The Good Dog” starts, it
has a beautifully lonely sound, like from out in some wasteland. Then when it
kicks in, it develops a friendlier, warmer feel. Here Cindy Emch sounds sweet at
moments. “It’s time to shed the pain and
sleep again/Sleep again, sleep again.” But probably the line I love most is
“Yelling at children and dogs alike,”
which strikes me as funny. Maybe something is wrong with me. That’s followed by
“Whiskey Fightin’ Terri,” a fun song in which alcohol plays a prominent role. “When the whiskey comes out, it’s a given
sin/Trouble is coming with a lopsided grin.” The album’s title track, “The
Chaser,” begins with some gentle strumming and soon becomes a cool country
number, a slow waltz, a drinking song of a different sort, equating herself
with that second drink. And it ends up being an odd and wonderful love song,
one of my personal favorites. “Now I’m
walking out in Brooklyn with an old glass of wine/It’s three in the morning,
but I always got time/When I find you and we’re waltzing under old neon
signs/Intoxicated by the glint in our eyes.” Am I crazy, or does Cindy’s
delivery on this song at times remind you of Leonard Cohen? I hear it
particularly on the line “That’s why you
still love me.” There is a pretty instrumental section in the second half
of this track.
“Leavin’ Powell River” is
another lively country number with energy and some interesting touches. “The ferry’s got life stories and lessons to
tell/We’re leaving Powell River and we’re driving straight to hell.” Yes, I’m
thinking this might be a good choice for a road trip mix CD, with lines like “Will it take three thousand miles for you to
miss me again.” That’s followed by “Git ‘Er Done.” I have to say I really
don’t like the expression “git ‘er done,” but this is an enjoyable song. Here
is a taste of the lyrics: “It always
seems over before it’s begun/Home wants the road and the road steals all the
fun.” This track too features a good instrumental section in the middle.
Then in “I Get Drunk,” Cindy Emch sings “Well,
I get drunk on Irish whisky/And I get drunk on seeing you/I get drunk on
Tennessee bourbon/But that don’t stop me loving you.” Yes, it’s a drinking
song and a love song. Hurrah for that! There are moments when the guitar has a
1960s sound.
Near the beginning of “Grackle,”
we get this line: “Once I had a boy whose
life just couldn’t start.” That line stood out for me the first time I
listened to this album. This song becomes a strange sort of duet, as on
these lines of violence: “Well, I heard she
hit you/I heard you hit her back.” This is another really good line: “Sometimes the kindest gestures leave the
hardest scars.” By the way, I had to look up the word “grackle.” It is a
kind of bird. Secret Emchy Society wraps up the album with “Dance Like The
World Is Ending,” which is certainly my favorite song title of the album. For four
years now, it has seemed like the world is ending, and some people even claim
to look forward to its destruction (that’s how screwed up things are these days).
Anyway, this song is a sweeter, sadder, more romantic number, with a certain
beauty, and is another of my favorite tracks. It features some nice work on
mandolin and harmonica. Toward the end, Cindy sings “Telling stories of guns and lakes/And bad ideas.” I love the addition
of “And bad ideas,” I love when a
line goes in a direction you hadn’t expected, but which works so well. This
song feels like the perfect conclusion to an excellent album.
CD Track List
- Everything Was Fine
- Howlin’ Sober At The Moon
- Hell Is A Hard Place
- The Good Dog
- Whiskey Fightin’ Terri
- The Chaser
- Leavin’ Powell River
- Git ‘Er Done
- I Get Drunk
- Grackle
- Dance Like The World Is Ending
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