We Are The West: “Only One Us” (2021) Vinyl Review

Many of the most memorable and magical times of my life have been closely tied to music – those fantastic nights at The Peak Show Compound in Highland Park, hopping on the Grateful Dead’s summer tour in 1990, traveling to Toronto to see Leonard Cohen, and of course meeting the love of my life at a Josh Lederman & The CSARs concert. When I first heard We Are The West, I knew immediately they were something special, something different. But I didn’t know that I would soon be counting their shows among those magical highlights of my life, especially as they took place in a parking garage. Go figure. But the duo of Brett Hool on guitar and John Kibler on bass, along with various guests, turned an underground parking garage into a beautiful and intimate setting, and delivered some fantastic music that reminded the audience of humanity’s better nature. Their latest release, Only One Us, features all original material, more magnificent music from one of the best groups out there. Several guests join them on various tracks.

Side A

The album opens with “Summer,” which features some beautiful vocal work, just as we’ve come to expect from these guys. The track has a sweet, light sound, feeling like a expansive field that you could run through forever, toward a joyful horizon. “Underneath the silence/There’s another me.” Mathias Künzli joins them on percussion. That’s followed by “For Giving,” which has a gentle vibe as it eases in, like telling a bedtime tale, a lullaby with a message. Here are the opening lines: “Once a king/Believed in gold/Thought it could keep him/From growing old.” Mathias Künzli is again on percussion. Dina Macccabee adds some beautiful touches on violin, and Sylvain Carton is on clarinet. “The face of a stranger/That you’ve always known/A place you discover/That feels like you’re home/A song on the breeze/That you’ve heard before.” There is a warmth, a friendly vibe to this, and to much of their music. It is music that seems to wish us all well, you know? And we can’t help but wonder, particularly at the end, if “For giving” is also “forgiving.”

“Only One Us,” the album’s title track, has a more cheerful pop vibe, perhaps calling to mind some of Paul Simon’s 1970s work. And if the previous song felt like a bedtime tale as it began, this one begins with the lines, “Wake up/The day must surely be breaking.” And indeed it feels like a new day, a day of possibilities. This song also becomes rather catchy, particularly as they sing the title line. And it builds beautifully at certain moments. “Slow down/We all know what we’re heading towards/Look around/We’re the ones we’ve been waiting for.” Jason Slota joins on drums, Joe Kennedy on keys, and Mouzhan Yousefi Carton on tambourine and providing some vocal work. I love the joy of this track. “Steps To Nowhere” also has a cheerful, pleasant sound. There is something familiar about it, particularly in that opening. It is a song that immediately feels like an old friend, like we are revisiting a bright moment. “And it’s time to get moving/This ain’t no time to be scared.” Brett Borges is on drums, Sylvain Carton is on electric reeds, Paul Cox is on electric piano, Joe Kennedy is on keys, and Dina Maccabee is on violin.

“For All Mankind” creates a more somber atmosphere as it begins, and its softer sound pulls us closer, compels us to pay more attention. This track features some gorgeous vocal work, and when it kicks in, it has a power that seems to come both from the skies and from deep within the earth, like a volcano coming to life, shooting fire toward the heavens. This surprising and excellent track features Corey Fogel on drums, Brett Borges on drums and percussion, Joe Kennedy on keys, Sylvain Carton on electric reeds, Paul Cox on electric piano, and Eric Sullivan on electric guitar. Then “When The Lights Have All Been Shined” has more of a folk vibe, the vocals supported by strumming on acoustic guitar as it begins. The vocal work has an intimate, relaxed quality. “Who ever thought time should slip away?/If you are searching/You will arrive/Oh, my weary child/The world dances for you.”

Side B

The second side opens with “Ah, Light!” There is the sound of birds chirping before the song begins. At its start, like the album’s title track, this song takes place in early morning, and the sound and approach feel like that time of day, easing in, with the effects of dreams still in play. This track features some of the album’s best vocal work (and that is saying something). “When the light came in/There before me/Figures forming/In the distance/In an instant.” Interestingly, there is then a pause, and in that pause we hear crickets, a way of indicating a shifting of time before the lines “Later in the evening/When the moon’s still low.” This is an unusual and beautiful song. Mathias Künzli plays drums on this one, Mouzan Yousefi Carton is on piano, and Sylvain Carton is on woodwinds.

The first several lines of “Don’t Worry About It” are delivered a cappella. “You like the stench of the pretty/I said, how can you understand/You’re stuck in the mirror.” Then it has more of a rock vibe, with a hook that feels like that of a late 1970s rock song, something by The Cars perhaps. This one features a different vocal approach too. This song comes as a surprise, standing out in part because it is so different from the other tracks. It also has a power, particularly in that raw delivery. “In my dreams I’ve got no teeth/When I send my body to its rest/I gotta take a bite of something/Though I wish you all the best/I can’t undo those things I’ve broken/Can’t push them back apart/I might miss that life/But I don’t miss it all that hard.” Corey Fogel plays drums on this one, and Eric Sullivan is on pedal steel.

They return to a gentle acoustic sound for “Unwind Your Mind.” Here is a taste of the lyrics: “Now we’re running out of time/Don’t fall asleep/Just decide/To be honest now/We can unlock the sound.” Sylvain Carton plays alto flute on this one, and Mathias Künzli is on percussion. The album concludes with a cheerful-sounding number titled “Hey God, I’m Alive!” This one features some pretty backing vocal work by Paula Lapins, Esperanza Torres, Nadia Effendi Briseno, Marilyn Kibler, Elsje Kibler, Vera Kibler and Eloise Kibler. Also joining them on this track are Brett Borges on drums, Corey Fogel on drums, Sylvain Carton on flute, Paul Cox on electric piano, and Brett Farkas on acoustic guitar. “You twisted your back/You were feeling just a little older/Well, everyone knows/There’s nothing to fear/Just a little dust in your eyes.” This is a song that will leave you smiling, and we can all use more of those.

Record Track List

Side A

1. Summer
2. For Giving
3. Only One Us
4. Steps To Nowhere
5. For All Mankind
6. When The Lights Have Been Shined

Side B

1. Ah, Light!
2. Don’t Worry About It
3. Unwind Your Mind
4. Hey God, I’m Alive!

Only One Us was released on June 20, 2021.