Dax rigg's solo debut "We sing of only blood or love" released in 2007 was a quick reminder that folk music can be heavy, dark, & incorporate strong rock structure overlayed with deep sonic bass, post punk drumming & garage rock style guitars. the result creating a symphony of sound that would be the landscape to dax riggs unique vocal style and projection, a voice that can only be described as if David Bowie and Robert Johnson were to attend a cocktail party in the deep south inside a mortuary. If you are familiar with Dax Riggs's catalog of bands and projects, then you know that when it comes to new marterial, Dax is anything but predictable. Not afraid to take risks and head on new challenges, he is the opposite of many musicians today, a trend that involves reproducing the same album and formula used on previous efforts.
Dax takes what we know and love about rock, folk, blues, melancholy, and combines it with a punk rock attitude of "this is me, i will create what I want" the result of this is his latest manifestation " Say Goodnight to the world" released on fat possum records.
The opening tracks revive the sounds of dirty rock n' roll, and touching upon delta blues thus bringing us to back to a time when dark, hopelessness, depression, and the "me against the world" reality could be projected with simply a broken guitar and shattered dreams.
The songs are hauntingly beautiful and soulfull, with that southern slippery reverb guitar tone and feeling of impending doom. It is as if you walked into a desert bar off the side of the highway, a roadhouse where nothing but outcasts stare like depraved vultures, stalking your every move, ready to pull a knife out while keeping their whiskey and beer from spilling to the grimey floor. With songs like "I hear Satan" the hypnotic lyrics run like bloody nails into a rail road of poetic rust and forgotten story tellers. Only dax knows if the listener will get out of this saloon alive, for he is the maijestro of this rhythmic serenade of tremelo guitar riffs and eerie organ notes.
then its back in the car on the beaten midnight highways of Louisiana, the slow progression of the bayou shadows begin to clear, the fog lifts and the uproar of city lights begins to shine in the drivers eyes without remorse, the album then picks up tempo, offering the vocal hooks and indie/ sonic rock stylings that are familiar sounds found on the previous album. After another mile of ambient layers and minor chord piano, the car takes a sharp turn at the sign post ahead, the traveller is greated with the song "you were born to be my gallows" a stunning song of loss, that could be as if roy orbisson joined the cure, delivering his staple song writing with tortured themes. Beyond the complex emotion of the lyrics, these songs offer a sense of joy and redemption, the melodies are easy to attach too, the wide range of influence touches on everything from nick cave to van morrison, to muddy waters. the city lights from the highway begin to fade into the moonlight once more, as we arrive to the end of the road with the song
"See you all in Hell or New Orleans" a haunting, psychadelic ballad, that perhaps captures the frustration of all of us regarding the current lack of support from the government and corporations in the gulf coast emergency. And reminds us of the quote "New Orleans, the city that care forgot". As with any music, the true indentity of the song lies within the artist. But one thing is for certain, this album will capture your attention, and perhaps envoke your own journey, as I have experienced upon listening. Check out Dax Rigg's on tour this fall.
I leave you with this quote:
" I fold my arms, Lord, I walked away...
Say, "That's all right, mama, your trouble will come someday"
- Son House, Death Letter Blues
