William Tyler’s forthcoming instrumental album, Modern Country, is gorgeous. And while it ain’t country, these nine instrumental pieces clearly draw on the various traditions of blues and country music that have shaped so much of American culture. Beyond musical influences, the album seems to consider landscape and place as well—the final song features a birdsong interlude about halfway through. Many of the songs feature rich, textured instrumentation, but they all maintain a tight connection to Tyler’s masterfully played guitar that defines the shape and scope of each composition.
Tyler’s band features Phil Cook (Hiss Golden Messenger), Glenn Kotche (Wilco), and Darin Gray (Tweedy) and it’s easy to see why Tyler fits in so well as a sometime-member of HGM and as the opening act for Wilco’s most recent tour. Brad Cook (also of HGM) co-produces the album and you can feel his sense of how to establish a mood and a groove in perfect sync with Tyler’s vision.
Kotche’s entrance a few minutes into the first song, “Highway Anxiety” immediately changes the song from mellow rumination to driving, expectant jam. He finds a rhythm I didn’t know was there and expands upon it throughout the song, the longest one on the record. Because I live in the northeast, I think I have a particular version of highway anxiety that comes from lots of close calls on one turnpike or another. But Tyler isn’t evoking anxiety as tension—rather it is a sense of anticipation or eagerness that comes from highways like the one pictured on the cover of the album: wide open, cutting through deserts, miles of visibility ahead and no one else around.
“I’m Gonna Live Forever (If It Kills Me)” features a fantastic call-and-response between two melodies in the song, one rolling and inviting and the other a sharp little riff that feels defiant. Other voices add to the conversation, especially the piano as it echoes some parts and provides a counterpoint to others. The song builds and builds and there are these subtle little runs on acoustic guitar that add color and texture.
While the first two songs map a clear structure and then grow more sonically complex, “Kingdom of Jones,” stays simple and it’s a perfect shift in the album. It begins with two brightly strummed chords before introducing a jaunty fingerpicked rhythm that at first feels reminiscent of Mississippi John Hurt or Charlie Parr but also feels like something you’d hear Richard Thompson play, as Tyler allows the bass notes ring and linger, creating a deep, full sound. “Albion Midnight” is similar, in that it lays out a compelling, though not complex, hook and the band settles right in.
Just as you’re getting comfortable, “Gone Clear” makes you sit up and take notice again, with a really wonderful contrast between an ethereal, steady drone of electric piano and Tyler’s sharply picked guitar. Kotche also adds these incredible parts on the triangle that reinforce the contrast in the song.
I’ve heard Tyler called a genius and a wunderkind. It’d be pretty hard to argue with that—and yet he creates music that is inviting and accessible. Modern Country fits right in with much of alt-country music, particularly the brand that seems so vibrant in North Carolina right now, best exemplified by Hiss Golden Messenger and Mount Moriah. Without lyrics, Tyler is able to tell compelling stories that bear repeated listening.
Tyler says that this album is a “love letter to what we are losing in America; to what we’ve already lost.” If we listen closely, we just might get it back. Highly, highly recommended. Pre-order here.