Album: Richard Fontaine, The High Country (Decor)

Andy Gill
Friday 02 September 2011 00:00 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Resolute in their rejection of Hollywood happy endings, the songs Willy Vlautin writes for Richmond Fontaine are downbeat narratives, related against the tints of a subtle Americana-rock which yaws between country, indie and ambient, as the action demands.

Here, they constitute chapters of a dour novella set in the Pacific northwest logging country, starting out grim – a late miscarriage, an amputation – and ending up grotesque, with almost every character left in pools of blood or shallow graves. It's an accomplished effort, deftly mingling narration, instrumental interludes and multi-character scenes; but the fascination with doom and blood is so relentlessly pointless and negative that it makes the average gangsta-rap tale read like Enid Blyton.

DOWNLOAD THIS: The Chainsaw Sea; Let Me Dream Of The High Country; Lost In The Trees; Leaving

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in