By: David Williams
Score 8.2/10
You won't find many people more normal than MJ Lenderman. The tall, lanky North Carolina native has a goofy grin wrapped around his face on most days with a happy-go-lucky attitude to boot. Lenderman has a refreshing air of authenticity about him and his particular brand of countrygaze music, skyrocketing him amongst the ranks in the indie rock community. His everyman demeanor is reminiscent of Stephen Malkmus's in the 90s. He, too, had this air of normalcy that he could be any Joe Blow standing in line at the DMV or buying pears at the grocery store, but he just so happens to be a certified rock star.
While his burgeoning solo career is on the cusp of a breakout, he also pulls double duty, working as the guitarist in the band Wednesday that just so happened to release one of the best albums this year, Rat Saw God. His solo act is slightly more varied from his Wednesday work, emphasizing yesteryears down south nitty-gritty country rock. Drive By Truckers significantly influenced last year's Boat Songs LP.
If you could visualize the pure essence of Boat Songs, it would be that of the film Road House. These songs were created specifically to be played in a southern dirty dive bar in the best way possible. How can you not imagine bouncer Patrick Swayze whooping the rowdy bar patrons asses to "SUV"? Those fuzzed, blown-out guitars, which coincidentally are familiar with some of Pavement's heavier sound, are perfect for throwing the riff-raff out of the bar. The see-sawing cowboy boot-wearing ballad "Under Control" would be the point in the film where Swayze has eyes for a love interest. This is music with the sole purpose of being put on amongst friends to share and hang out. Who knows if Lenderman starts his day on the front lawn performing bare-chested tai chi like Swayze? Only he or his neighbors can answer that question.
Photo Credit: Yailene Yeyva
This brings us to Lenderman's latest project, his first-ever live album, And The Wind (Live and Loose). The performances were recorded at two specific shows this year, one in Chicago and the other in Los Angeles. Lenderman's vocals are crystal clear throughout the record. Alex Farrar, who worked with Lenderman previously, produced for Wednesday and mixed his live record. He decided to keep the crowd noise to a minimum; we are here to listen to the artist, not to have blood-curdling screams or crowd sing-alongs. The fans are subtly there just enough so the listener knows people are watching him, and he's not performing in somebody's basement while they eat Domino's pizza.
The album begins with an unmistakable riff from Thin Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back in Town," transitioning into "Hangover Game," where Lenderman finds common ground in alcohol with another North Carolina native, Michael Jordan. He seems to have an affinity for the plight of sports stars; in "TLC Cagematch," there's a concern present for the wrestlers he watches punish themselves on television: "It's hard to see you fall like that." On "Dan Marino," he sings about the Hall of Fame quarterback of the same name looking downtrodden that Tom Brady has replaced him on the Wheaties boxes now. Lenderman sings these songs with an understated delivery that naturally showcases his charisma almost perfectly. The only way to quantify this phenomenon would be to say it's "dude energy."
The band is letting loose during the performance, sounding synchronized while liberated. A great example of this is giving new life to bare-bones tracks from Lenderman's previous album, Ghost of Your Guitar Solo. "Catholic Priest" and "Live Jack" get fleshed out with extra guitars, drums, and pedal steel, making these two stand out. It's good to see him still tap into his lesser-known songs to let people know his career didn't start with Boat Songs; he's got some hidden gems in his back catalog if you do the research.
The band gives an energetic performance on "Rudolph," a single released earlier in the year. The live element gives this song a grandiose sound, which is as good as any to have while drinking Bud Lights at a backyard barbecue. "Tastes Like It Costs" is one of those alt-country vignettes that just sticks to you, like eating ribs in the summer. The story is engaging about eating expensive meats and Lenderman chastising someone for wearing headwear he didn't approve of: "But what did I tell you/About wearin' that dumb hat." The mind boggles, wondering how egregious it must have been for Lenderman to write it into a song. He had to be singing Pork Pie Hat, right? Or one of those little cyclist caps, the type with those little brims? Both of those should draw ire from anyone if ever seen worn outside.
The Wind (Live and Loose) is the best of both worlds, being the perfect start-up point for people to familiarize themselves with Lenderman while also giving his already fans something to jam out to. One can imagine the limitless potential of his upcoming album next year. Don't be afraid to hop on that bandwagon now. Just try not to pull a hamstring doing it.