By Ken Paulson
The new Band of Heathens album Sunday Morning Record is an eye-opener, packed with diverse sounds and reflective lyrics.
It comes during a period of significant change for the band, and the departure of three band members, including Colin Brooks. The album chronicles the churn and change surrounding the band.
We first saw the Band of Heathens on stage at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville as part of the Americana Music Festival in Nashville, We loved their energy then, but they’ve clearly grown as a band, despite the personnel shifts.
This is a musically adventurous album, highly melodic with impressive harmonies. It’s folk, rock, country and pop rolled into a full and rewarding sound. “Shotgun” and “Records in Bed” are particularly compelling, intimate and ambitious at the same time.
“Miss My Life” is a free-spirited declaration that shares some musical turf with “Give Peace a Chance”, and “Texas” tips a hat to Austin even as the band heads out the door.
If we have any reservations about the album, it’s in the number of songs that focus on unrealized dreams and unsettled relationships.
Founding member Gordy Quist is quoted in the press materials: “We chronicled our trip through a strange, weird and intense time. You can hear it all here: the joy, the heartache, the disappointment, the longing and ultimately the resolution that this band has found to continue to make albums and perform shows together.”
I’m sure that every band that has endured personnel changes and a relocation from Austin can relate. But for the rest of us, piecing the songs into a thematic whole is a bit of challenge.
Still, the album resonates with fresh music and hooks. It’s the sound of a good band getting better.
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