Richmond Fontaine
The High Country
El Cortez
2011
Rating: 6 run down Nevada cities out of 10
Richmond Fontaine has been doing their alt-country thing for well over a decade now, crafting a wide variety of twangy, honky tonk tinged music for the masses to enjoy. And I've enjoyed everything they've released, from the more upbeat Lucero-like punk-tinged country, to their mellower, delicate folk-based songs - which would probably be the best descriptor for this newest album "The High Country".
The thing is, it's not just another sparse album of dirges on depressed peoples, but it has a structure, telling a story...that I kinda spaced out on since these sorts of things are generally lost on me. I don't do concept and stories - I just want the music to sounds goo to my ears. And while the whole album feels like a musical play, with weird spoken word tracks, there are some good songs in there too. But it's a little frustrating, and after the first listen I just want to skip these non-musical moments, yearning for just a regular album.
So this isn't their best record. Try "Post to Wire" or "Thirteen Cities" for that. But if you're a fan you're still going to want to hear this.
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