Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams

Patterson Hood developed such a strong lyrical and musical voice in his work with the Drive-By Truckers that its surprising how much it differs from the tone and approach of his solo work. 2004s Killers and Stars and 2009s Murdering Oscar (And Other Love Songs) were assembled from songs that clearly wouldnt fit the DBTs, both musically and thematically, and 2012s Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance was an ambitious effort to create a song cycle that existed in a separate (though not unrelated) musical universe from his band. Hoods fourth solo album, 2025s Exploding Trees and Airplane Screams, in many respects picks up where Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance left off. While Heat Lightnings songs were informed by an uncompleted novel he penned about the chaos of his life in the 90s, Exploding Trees looks back even further. Most of the tracks were inspired by memories from Hoods childhood, from his Godmothers ridiculously large car and the Christmas parties where he first learned to sneak drinks from the punchbowl to bittersweet recollections of his high school girlfriend and the ways his obsession with Walt Disneys Pinocchio would follow him into adulthood. These stories feel personal, almost confessional, in a way thats very different from Hoods storytelling in the DBTs, and the music is even more of a departure. Exploding Trees was produced by Chris Funk of the Decemberists, and the sound of the album is cooler and more self-consciously artful than Hoods previous solo work. Hood played piano rather than guitar on a number of tracks, and the sturdy, eloquent tone of his keyboard work gives the arrangements a reflective undertow thats a far cry from the DBTs enlightened Southern rock. The album also features an impressive team of guest stars, including Lydia Loveless, Wednesday, Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee, and Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, and its the most carefully crafted and cohesive solo effort Hood has released to date. It isnt quite the unexpected triumph that Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance was, but it confirms Patterson Hood is capable of more than hes created with the Drive-By Truckers, great as they are, and its a pleasure to hear him challenge himself with such impressive results. ~ Mark Deming

ドライヴ・バイ・トラッカーズの中心人物による12年ぶりのソロ作だ。深い滋味を湛えたオーケストレーションを駆使しつつ内省と遡行をテーマにした楽曲群を奏でる彼はこれまでになくシリアス。ワクサハッチーを迎えた気怠いカントリー・チューン"The Forks Of Cypress"など多彩なゲスト陣と紡ぐ密なる対話も作品全体に独特な彩りを与えていて、どれも聴き応えがある。
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