THE SKINNY: Punch Brothers is the bluegrass group of the future rooted solidly in the past.WEBSITE: http://www.punchbrothers.com
MYSPACE: http://myspace.com/punchbrothers
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/punchbrothers
PURCHASE: Amazon
Chris Thile just seemed to understand me in high school. Thile (pronounced “feely” not “while”) was a mandolin virtuoso and member of the progressive bluegrass band Nickel Creek during that time. His instrument kept him fixed solidly in the middle of the musical continuum, never too new electronic and always striving for innovation within his genre. If that weren't enough to ensure my loyalty, his compositions over the years have established some serious geek cred in my mind. As a youth he wrote instrumentals inspired by the Star Wars: “Hyperdrive”, “A Night in Mos Eisley”, and perhaps my favorite “Alderaanian Melody”. He matured and by the time he was a member of Nickel Creek he had moved on to Tolkein, he even went so far as to name a solo album during this period Not All Who Wander Are Lost. In each song of the type I've mentioned he made the listener feel as if they were lost in the books or movies. When I purchase a new Chris Thile project I know to expect incredible musicianship and challenging subject material.
His latest album, as a member of the five piece bluegrass group Punch Brothers, continues his maturation in a profoundly melancholy direction. He may have discussed his 2004 divorce in some songs off his more recent solo albums, but I suspect that this album, Punch, is meant as the final word on the subject. There are good tracks at the beginning and end of the collection, but the focus was clearly placed on the four-movement bluegrass concerto/song cycle dominating its middle. “The Blind Leaving the Blind” is a massive musical exploration. Each movement approaches the ten minute mark, and when taken together they constitute a narrative of Thile's highs and lows during those troubled years. Soaring bluegrass instrumentals connect the sung material, the technical proficiency of which clearly rivals any chamber music. Two stories are told by the piece. Firstly is that of Thile's marriage and its ending. You hold on as the artist seesaws from anger to despair and finally acceptance, though it is clear that a far more jaded man remains at its end.
Running concurrently with this plot line is a rather refreshing theological discussion, which I admire for its ambivalence. Within the piece Thile clearly longs for either a firm faith in the divine or the confidence to declare himself a non-believer. In the end he cannot make a decision, and the final lines of the concerto have him declaring what he wished God would say to his people, namely that we are all his children and no one will be forsaken. This album is a step forward for the genre which pushes back the boundaries for bluegrass. All this time later is is comforting to see that an artist I was so in tune with having the same kinds of problems and insecurities while still leaving behind material for others to use in their own journeys. I look forward to many more years of music with Chris Thile, and the continuation of our processes of self-discovery.
"Punch Bowl" off of Punch
FAVORITE TRACK: The Blind Leaving the Blind- 4th Movement
FOR FANS OF: Nickel Creek, Allison Krauss, Béla Fleck
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