This Podcast Will Burn Right Out Episode #2

The Holy Trinity is back with Hoyt Emerson, Ed Thanhouser and Justin Parris.  We discuss what we want the website to be and also have a round table discussion about some songs we like.

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Come Gather Round Us – “Remember Where U R”

contributor: Ed Thanhouser – June 3, 2009

For this review, I have a scenario I’m counting on: You don’t know who Come Gather Round Us is. There’s a good reason for that, seeing as how they just formed in January, after moving to Portland, and although Catherine Feeny’s prior solo project enjoyed some success in the UK, her name doesn’t resonate across the pond just yet. So, in short, here’s another talent sucked in by the musician magnet that is Portland, OR that’s as-yet unkown to most locals. Enough said, right? You pick up the brand new disc, “Remember Where U R,” and throw it in your player. For the sake of this review, lets choose the polished “cut” version of the album, without the (largely uninteresting) between-song banter included as bonus on the parallel “uncut” version. All set? OK. Hit play…

Here’s some thoughts to ponder while you listen: I almost started this review by saying, “Now, I’m not really a fan of political music myself…” when one quick look through my over-sized stack of Dylan records, CSNY and the like says different. No, I’ve come to realize that it’s not political music that bothers me… in fact, folk and protest music are some of my favorite classic tunes… it’s recent political music that irks me. Whether it’s Green Day, Quasi or Kanye West, politics in most contemporary songs makes me wince. There’s something about the angry, frustrated and impotent feelings of musicians during the Bush years that have inspired a deluge of bad political music, the kind that is full of vague ideals, anti-corporate rhetoric and cheesy slogans. After all, political music has always been a delicate affair. Anyone with an ear for the critical can tell you it’s dangerous territory where the political and aesthetic meet. On the one hand, you have a message, on the other, you have the demands of taste and critical judgement. Balancing both is something only the very best achieve.

…OK! Back to our review…

Now I’d put money down that 9 of 10 of you are wincing your way through album opener “How Convenient,” thinking, “Oh man…not again. Evil Corporations, Culture of Convenience Indictments, Soap-Box Mongering! Spare me! … ” as you reach for the “eject” button. I don’t know what it is that makes some bands put their worst foot forward on albums. It goes without saying that the band wouldn’t agree, and perhaps this whole scenario is unfair. Nevertheless, to me, “How Convenient” represents the worst kind of political songwriting. Clumsy, preachy, and heavy-handed, it’s so ungraceful that even if you agree with the substance of their rant, it’s hard to like it as art. But wait… before you eject “Remember Where U R,” hear me, or rather, them, out. If you do, what you’ll hear on the remaining 9 songs are some marvelously well-constructed harmonies, eloquent lyricism, and a huge range of equally huge topics tackled rather deftly. Certainly more deftly than the albums opener would have you believe, at any rate. Come Gather Round Us, for such a hastily constructed debut, have produced an album both global and local, just like the average bumper sticker commands. It does so (first track excepted) while avoiding so many of the pitfalls other groups run into with this sort of material, and in a way that will bring you back to the golden age of protest music, when a statement and a message were essential components of songs that weren’t just songs, but anthems for a movement.

This feat is helped, in no small part, by excellent musicianship all around. The flamenco-style solos that flit over sections of the livelier parts are mesmerizing, and the vocals are impecable. The delicate interplay of voice, rhodes and guitar on “Fires of September” make for the album’s breathtaking centerpiece. While there are no drums on the record, songs like “The Workers Co-Op” and “Cardboard Cowboys” burst at their seams with infectious rhythms, of the foot stomped and hand-clapped variety, a perfect choice for an inclusive act who’s very name is the imperative of community. In fact, it’s the participatory atmosphere of “Remember Where U R” that makes Come Gather Round Us a success on their debut. The nature of the songs invites you in, the group demands not just your presence but your participation. Come Gather Round Us proposes nothing less than a social movement through music, with a boldness that America hasn’t seen since Woodstock. Their political grandstanding and soap-boxing would seem self-aggrandizing if it weren’t so damn inclusive. Certainly, at least, they could have picked no better town in which to unfurl such a message. We’re all about community in Portland, aren’t we? Indeed, so far they appear to have been welcomed with open arms – despite being unknown and only a few months old, they have moved from an open mic (where I saw them appear out of nowhere for the first time) to a disc recorded by Ian Watts at the Magic Closet and booking shows at the Roseland Theater. They are everywhere at once. As a group, they have plenty long ways to go still, granted, but with the momentum they’ve built in such a short time, you’d think it was a race. If they keep this pace up, we can be sure to expect the kind of achievements from Come Gather Round Us that will match the grandiosity of their message.