Swing It, Bill

a Potluck Suicide review of Bill Mallonee's 2015 album Lands and Peoples

We were recently perusing our collaborative thought canals regarding what it is that makes for a great song. By great, we mean one that remains relevant through time's passages and beckons "come, listen, yet again." Although it'd be self-defeating to attempt to concoct a scientific formula (most creatures on dissecting tables have long-since deceased), one can't help but at least read the x-ray results of a tune's chest cavity in order to discern certain patterns. Granted this remains a subjective, nebulous, and messy procedure. Hence, we will proceed with caution. 

Musically: The number should be at least somewhere… off…  the trampled path, while still not succumbing to the mere hanging of a banana from the ear (as an unnamed artist once put it).

Lyrically: (Here we dive deeply into subjective waters) there should be an element of cryptic mystery – and in these authors’ opinions, empathetic metaphors. In other words, you should be able to somehow experience it not as merely the artist’s song, but as your song. That being said, we feel that virtually ...

...no one wields the art of empathetic metaphors like Bill Mallonee.

When the reviewers of PASTE placed Mr. Mallonee, former front-man of band Vigilantes of Love, among the “top 100 living songwriters” on the planet, we’re not certain if this is how they would cut (and PASTE) their rationale - but this is how we at P.S. are choosing to write our lab report. We also deem Bill’s latest album entry Lands and Peoples as no exception to our conclusions.

People familiar with his catalog know he's not only massively prolific but sometimes seems to complete his works in album groupings, like triads, with different collections of songs making up a whole.  On other projects, Mallonee isn’t shy about kicking down the door with driving, alternative, roots rock. The most recent albums, however, might be described as treks into stark, yet somewhat grooving, moodiness. Stemming from the previous excellent studio projects (Dolorosa, Winnowing), musically Lands builds on an already savory foundation with the difference being some subtle, yet distinct experimentation. Mallonee’s signature acoustic guitar work is here, along with the beautifully, and hauntingly ethereal electric-ax moments. Uniquely, however, this time around the arrangements include: Resonator, high-string/ Spanish guitars, dulcimers, and string arrangements, along with Muriah Rose’s elegantly understated piano, electric piano, and organ. The artistry of the often minimal placement of these colorations is easy to overlook upon initial listens, but with re-spins delivers with ascending captivation. The instrumentation reaches a sort of peak in the middle of the album with Sangre De Cristos, featuring wonderfully welcome accordion riffs. As is often the case for a Mallonee project – the sun periodically breaks through the clouds, and musically Sangre matches its lyrical offering - "The sunlight never fails to win the heart's allegiance." It’s safe to say that lyrically, Lands and Peoples reveals, like previous albums, that essentially …

...no one wields the art of empathetic metaphors like Bill Mallonee.

In the lyrics, the story telling includes a tour through the past, with an opportunity for corporate confessions. Whether the listener incarnates in the songs as victim, victimizer, or mere bystander - this somber, spiritual road trip through dark Americana is remarkably therapeutic. Riding with the author on this southwestern audio-venture through a nation he describes in liner notes as “wounded, burdened, even haunted” – actually comes across less preachy as it does pensive.         

There ain't nothing like the past to remind you of who you are
There ain't nothing like the present to tell you who you aren't
After everyone's been bought and everyone's been sold
The steering wheel is a prayer wheel on the open road
(from Steering Wheel is a Prayer Wheel)

Still, the precedent of discovering hope on the open, lonely road is evident even from the opening track: 

One more thing about that drifting
Every place becomes your home
And yes, you may be lonely ...
but you never are alone
(from At Least for a Little While)

Rest assured, this work is dark, but in the midst of desperation and remorse, glimmers of enlightened resolve continue to break through the emptiness of the varied terrains:

Now you can dig in the desert; 
you can dig in the sea 
You can dig on the mountains on high 
I know this much: It's where no shovel can touch 
that's where the real gold lies 
(from Northern Nights and Southern Cross)

As noted before, it’s not an overstatement to say that, really…

...no one wields the art of empathetic metaphors like Bill Mallonee.

It’s our contention here at P.S. that perhaps the standout track on the album is I’ll Swing with Everything That I’ve Got.  From Qoheleth of ancient Hebrew literature, through the Greek philosophers, to a certain 1^st century Jewish Rabbi, the questioning of “what is life” has always been a meaningful exercise. Taking the listener through a baseball analogy to a seat at the table of a card game, the songwriter offers his own swing at the subject, and leaves the listener with some reflective gems:  

Now, they say life's a game
and most are bound to lose
because the deck has been stacked from the start
But lately, I've been wondering
if life is what you give away
and what could be more precious than your heart?

There's a story that I'm writing
Would you help me hold the pen?
On every page you will shine just like a star
And if that deck is stacked?
We'll just laugh and leave the table
And leave the dealer all alone there in the dark

               

Did we tell you that, all things considered…

...no one wields the art of empathetic metaphors like Bill Mallonee?

We’re not certain how he continues to consistently deliver, but he most certainly does - and we’re hopeful he’ll continue to do so for a long time. Until next time, we say “Swing it, Bill.” To others, we highly recommend getting your own copy of Lands and Peoples, and then to start swinging away at the rest of his extensive discography.

for Bill Mallonee Music go here: Bill Mallonee Music

-P.S Contributors