Vacilando Territory Blues
J. Tillman
Score:71
Reviewer: Chris Familton
Label: Western Vinyl (USA), Bella Union (UK)
Reviewed: Jan 22nd '09, Released:2009
Modern music is littered with musicians from successful groups releasing solo albums, and the drummer in particular often seems to get the short end of the critical straw when it comes to their efforts (insert here - Phil Collins, Taylor Hawkins, Ringo Starr and Keith Moon). Occasionally, however, a drummer gets it right and in the case of Fleet Foxes’ Joshua Tillman, he has produced a gem in Vacilando Territory Blues.
The term ‘vacilando’ can be used, as the English 'vacillate', in the context of hesitation or indecision, however it is author John Steinbeck's 1962 description that fits J. Tillman's intent: “if one is vacilando, he is going somewhere, but does not greatly care whether or not he gets there, although he has direction". Steinbeck's musing sits comfortably with both the mood and lyrical content of the album. On the final track ‘Vacilando Territory’, Tillman sums this up perfectly: "On that five day drive through the pan handle morning/All our plans were sitting on the skyline".
Vacilando Territory Blues is an album requiring the listener to be in the appropriate mood. It is at its most powerful when heard in solitude or with headphones, as it creates a potent intimacy. Recently, there have been a number of songwriters who have been able to capture a similar emotionally haunted tone. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Jason Molina and Phosphorescent are contemporaries who take a similarly minimal approach, dousing their songs in aching turmoil. Tillman does the same but there is no feeling of pity that emerges from the songs, more a sense that he is working through the issues, analysing and reflecting on the paths his life has taken. In the stark and raw ‘No Occasion’ he sings: “No occasion for regret or pride or fear... Memories are rebuilt from time to time to mark the days”.
Fans of Fleet Foxes will find much of the album familiar and, as a result, appealing. In the proper surroundings, the listener will be immersed in a stellar collection of stark and brooding songs written by someone who isn’t afraid to bare his soul. It is a record that demands repeat listens and it is the calling card of yet another true musical talent.
