River Whyless – Kindness, A Rebel
Roll Call Records – 13 July 2018
Having first met as students at Appalachian State University, the members of River Whyless relocated to Asheville, North Carolina, where they immersed themselves in the musical heritage of the region. After releasing their debut album titled, A Stone, A Leaf, An Unfound Door in 2012, they followed that, in 2015, with an eponymous EP.
2016 saw the release their second full-length album, We All The Light. Their folk-orientated music, with occasional bluegrass harmonies, attracted much attention and put them firmly on the radar.
A year of significant change followed, however, within both the personal sphere – marriage, engagement, homebuilding, relocation, further studying, loss of a parent, together with a profound collective reappraisal of the group’s direction, all of which influenced this latest release. As they themselves affirm, ‘In creating this album, we somewhat recreated ourselves, settling into a fresh method of collaboration in which each of us contributed equally and openly to the creative process.’
The group, Ryan O’Keefe, guitars, vocals, Halli Anderson, violin, vocals, Alex McWalters, drums, percussion and Daniel Shearin, bass, vocals, harmonium, benefit greatly from the fact that they include both skilled female and male vocalists, meaning that individual songs have flexibility and diversity. Given that all members also contribute to the songwriting, variety across the 11 tracks of the release is also assured.
Kindness, A Rebel, has as its leitmotif the theory that kindness is the ideal which one must strive to obtain in the challenging times in which we live, rather than violence, anger, tribalism and fear. Whilst not a vehicle for endorsing overtly political views, the album was recorded in Tornillo, Texas from where the group could see Mexico, or at least, the wall; an appropriate setting, perhaps, to make a record about living in America.
Opening track, All Of My Friends, begins with a burbling synth before harmony vocals introduce Halli’s liltingly pure lead vocal, all over a continuing metronomic beat which gives credence to the band’s wish to be musically more expansive. A compelling, and catchy, song with which to start.
Throughout this album River Whyless narrate from the perspectives of the powerful and the powerless and the most cogent example of this is Born In The Right Country, penned by O’Keefe. Exploring the concept that, for many, success comes not from the achievement of the ‘American Dream’ but through luck, by winning the lottery that is race, birth and national origin. Generally the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor, because, in a world of haves and have-nots, you do all in your power to make sure you remain a have. Lyrics explicitly address the issues of white privilege and systematic oppression.
‘Can you really blame me? Built on a system where some must fail so that you can break through if you’ve got the right skin.‘
Later, the narrator gets ever more cynical, stating
‘Manufactured truth is easy to sell when you own the factory and you own the hearts of the clientele.‘
The straightforward driving, rocky feel of this track is heavily contrasted with the one that follows. Motel 6¸ a much slower-paced, dreamy song, which may, or may not be a reference to the aforementioned 2017 group hiatus.
‘As I turned our van back east
Somewhere on the road we lost our way’
February 2018 saw the release of the first single from the album, Van Dyke Brown, and it is not difficult to see why. Written primarily by bassist and singer Dan Shearin, this is a real coming of age tale in its exploration of ‘finding oneself, finding love, and coming to terms with death – discovering there is cause for celebration in all parts of life.’ With an uplifting melody, kalimba and highly rhythmic percussion patterns reminiscent of The Indestructible Beat Of Soweto, this is a truly exhilarating piece of joie de vivre.
Next up is Falling Farm. Over a psychedelia-tinged, faintly Middle Eastern vibe, with chugging rhythm and tick-tock beat, vocalists Halli Anderson and Ryan O’Keefe grimly recount the slow decline of a family farm, as the animals slowly die and the family loses hope. Contrast this with the guitar-heavy New Beliefs and a return to the thematic narrative,
‘I’d like to thank you for the crumbs you’ve left for me
Lookin’ up from the middle class
Maybe I’ll leave a few for the ones poorer than me
Terrified of a lower caste
Terrified of what’s below me
While from above you keep me down‘
at the same time as taking the opportunity to comment upon the preconceived notions of organized religion, or maybe POTUS
‘I’ve been elected by the Good Lord
He told me who to lock up and who to free’
The Feeling Of Freedom offers up another tranche of uplifting beats and rhythms, with its soaring violin and guiro confirming that the group have indeed been successful in their attempt at creating a more aggressive and innovative sonic palate. The refined acoustic lament of War Is Kind, initially to an orphan and then to his mother, is devastating in its simplicity; if you enjoy Belle & Sebastian, you will love this.
Another Shitty Party at times jars, with its discordant electronic blips, although its harmonies and chorus have a quirky charm. Darkness in Mind, the penultimate track on my review disc, is another psychedelic work-out, with reversed tapes and bass beats that would give Giorgio Moroder pause for thought.
Album closer, Mama Take Your Time, is another acoustic offering, redolent of more Americana sounding offerings, such as that emanating from Laurel Canyon, and showcases admirably both the compositional and vocal strengths of the group.
Whilst it may not please those expecting music akin to that of the group’s debut album, those of a more open mind will appreciate the new direction being taken here.
With the synthesizers providing a firm base for the songs, and indeed at times coming to the fore, harmonies, violins, thumping bass riffs, guitar solos, somewhat ‘obscure’ instrumentation and expansive percussion, not to mention whoops and handclaps, alongside intelligent and perceptive lyrics, Kindness, A Rebel confirms that River Whyless are an increasingly musical force to be reckoned with.
