Gillian Welch – The Harrow & the Harvest

As practically everyone who reads this blog is aware, it’s been 8 years since one of Americana’s most acclaimed artists, Gillian Welch, has released an album.  With all the anticipation, Team Twangville decided to do the more-is-better approach and give you a variety of thoughts on the record.  I’ll start with my reaction…

 

Miles Davis, John Lennon, Roger Waters, Ray Charles.  Those and a few others are the rare example of modern musical artists who can, or could, so completely put a style stamp on an album marking a new chapter of their sound exploration that you instantly know what album a song came from even if you don’t recall having actually heard the song before.  That’s the kind of imprint you get from The Harrow & the Harvest.  On one hand, this has the same sparse just-Gill-and-Dave sound that marks their early albums and any performance from the last half dozen years.  On the other hand, there’s a modern Appalachia sound that’s kind of like Mother Maybelle Carter produced by T Bone Burnett.  Everything’s the same, only a little different.

The record starts with Scarlett Town and an accompaniment from Rawlings guitar that sounds so close to that Carter Family autoharp.  However, there’s a crispness to the recording that’s clearly a modern touch and bears no resemblance to an old Folkways recording regardless of the similar style.  That’s kind of the consistent production theme that runs through the album.  One of the more notable cuts, at least for me, is Tennessee with a chorus of, “it’s beefsteak when I’m working, and whiskey when I’m dry” that’s a fun singalong.  I also liked The Way It Goes, the most upbeat song on the disc with some fine guitar picking and almost a finger snapping tempo.  The album ends with The Way the Whole Thing Goes and a set of lyrics that’s Michael Stipe-like in its discontinuity between verses.

I think I like this record.  There’s a richness in the layers that belies the simplicity of the songs and arrangements.  And there’s the melding of David and Gillian’s individual voices into the vocal trademark that is Gillian Welch.  But to be clear this is an addition to the playbook more than a summation of where they’ve been.

by Shawn Underwood

 

A new record by Gillian Welch (and masterful guitarist David Rawlings) is quite an event. It’s the week before my wedding and I’ve managed to make time to listen to it. Heck, I’ve even made moving plans around a Gillian Welch concert. So, was it worth it?

As with any Gillian Welch record, the simple style of two-part harmony has been meticulously crafted. The melodies here are generally plodding and at times a bit sluggish. But these tunes take time to fully grasp. Each spin reveals a new layer.

When I saw the Dave Rawlings Machine last year, I always found myself wishing that Gill would sing more songs. This records confirms that the band can truly hum with Gill back in the lead The more old-timey and uptempo, the better. Tracks like “The Way it Goes” and “Six White Horses” follow this theme. The former includes Rawlings and his signature banjo-like guitar. The latter rings as true as any of the old-time greats. Rawlings is an inspiring picker either way.  I’m just beginning to see the layers of the lyrics and with each read I get more.

by Jeff McMahon

 

So here we have it, the folk world’s version of Chinese Democracy.  8 years, numerous live shows, numerous recording collaborations (Robyn Hitchcock, Solomon Burke, Bright Eyes, the Decembrists, to name a few), the Dave Rawlings Machine debut record Friend of a Friend (which let’s face it, was practically the same as getting a new Gillian Welch record), and now we are finally in possession of The Harrow and the Harvest, the fifth record under the Gillian Welch moniker.  In the 8 years since Soul Journey, the myth of Gillian Welch & Dave Rawlings has only intensified.  It’s hard to imagine a folk record more anticipated than this one, in the history of records, folk music, or anticipation.  There seemed little chance that these neo-classists folk singers would be able to live up to the pressure.  After all, Soul Journey had signaled a shift in the tide with the introduction of drums and other production as well as receiving (very) slightly less than universal critical acclaim.  Their numerous collaborations had encompassed any number of styles.  The Dave Rawlings Machine record had even included a string section on a number of songs.

Ahhh, screw it.  I can’t pretend that The Harrow and the Harvest isn’t EXACTLY the record we’ve all been pining for.  The decision to go with the live sound of just Gillian and Dave’s guitars (with occasional banjo and harmonica accompaniments) was practically genius (less is always more).  The songs are as strong a set as they’ve put forth on any record.  I am particularly partial to the lengthy “Tennessee,” which borrows from an old favorite traditional song “Moonshiner” and the relatively energetic “Hard Times.” The record sounds like it could have been recorded yesterday, or one hundred years ago.  That is the genius of Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings.  I give up.  Dave, Gillian, you win.

by Eli Petersen

 

So there you have it.  It’s not exactly what everyone was expecting.  Gillian and David are such stellar musicians, though, that you have to sit up and take notice of The Harrow & the Harvest and it’s pretty unlikely you’ll be disappointed.

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About the author:  I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.

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