Like many singer-songwriters, Joe Pug keeps his career afloat by touring incessantly. However, four consecutive years on the road left the Austin native exhausted and contemplating retirement. With sessions for his third album looming, Pug made the decision to take a sabbatical, heading home to recuperate and rediscover his love of live music. Finally recharged, he booked studio time in mid-2014 to begin work on the follow-up to 2012’s The Great Despiser.
Due out March 10th via Lightning Rod Records, the resulting Windfall LP sees Pug face his hardships head-on, as he attempts to “journey further down the highway despite the gloom that seems certain to overtake him.”
The track Bright Beginnings starts the album off…
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…warmly, accompanied by an attractive piano melody and a rhythmic acoustic guitar. This seems to be the case for several other tracks. Despite this, Pug, using his musical experience from his four hundred plus shows as well as his strong discography, allows his southern background to shine through appropriately.
Veteran Fighter is a lot slower and softer and appears to highlight furthermore his voice, harmonising nicely above a mellow bass and calm riff. Stay and Dance feels slightly jazzier, whereas The Measure begins very Mumford and Son’s and continues to be quite folky in comparison. Great Hosannas is a lot earthier in texture –slightly monotone with a slow, harrowing pace. Burn and Shine is back on the acoustic bandwagon, as is O my Cheseapeake – bringing in an easy-going female harmony that only accentuates Pug. Windfallen is more production focused with a lot more going on, though his strongest track in my opinion, Pair of Shadows, leaves Joe Pug’s voice to himself and that is simply how he should be performing. His chosen single, If I Still Can’t Be Found, premiered on Rolling Stones and is a little generic, upsettingly, but then again, fits with the album and is understandably his chosen record to showcase. Despite this, the guitar work is subtle and sweet; allowing the track it’s way back into my thoughts.