Monday, May 1, 2017

3:40:00 PM
I don’t blame Dave Simonett for wanting to take some time away from what has been his main gig for 15 years as the frontman of the bluegrass-esque Trampled By Turtles. As stellar of a collective of musicians as Trampled By Turtles is, at some point the experience of a string band is going to feel limiting to someone who beyond all their other musical faculties is a songwriter first.
We saw this with Jason Isbell when he left the riff happy Drive-By Truckers, and with the respective members of the .357 String Band when they split up. We’re living in the era of the song, and no matter how good of a musician you are, or how well you can sing, what separates you from the pack is your ability to tell a story that touches the audience, and all other concerns waterfall beneath that.
Dave Simonett and friends have put together a remarkable effort here under the name Dead Man Winter, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit timid in approaching this project. Though Trampled By Turtles may be known by many for their breakneck compositions, the true fans of the band know them best for heartbreaking, slow ballads that will make even the most steeled of disposition steamy-eyed.
Furnace is about Simonett’s divorce, and more about Simonett’s divorce. And what is interesting is how he resists the temptation of doing anything other than blaming himself. For an album with such a singular theme inspired by a breakup, there is no true bitterness or vitriol that gets communicated, or if it is, it’s too subtle for the anger to be palpable in these songs. The music is rock or folk rock, maybe alt-country at most, maybe even pop rock at times, but the power of the songwriting and the sensible but still intelligent arrangements keep you engaged. It’s almost shocking when Dave Simonett let’s fly a swear word, which he does numerous times (usually towards himself), when the songs sound so upbeat. About the only concern is by the end of the album, it sounds like the same kernel of a melody was used on multiple songs to an attentive ear.


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