THE LEG UP / Stephen M. Deusner

ANDROGYNES, QUEERS AND PEERS: AIN’T THAT AMERICANA?

Checkin’ out Americana according to Jeff Hanson, Todd Snider and the reunion of Jayhawks principals Gary Louris and Mark Olson. Oh, and a dud from Wovenhand.

Did that old weird America really exist? Is the new strange America even odder? Four upcoming releases reconsider and rethink the Americana genre, making small or large adjustments as these crazy times demand. Three hold up well enough, but one gets lost in the woods.

Mark Olson & Gary Louris: Ready for the Flood (Hacktone, September 16)

It’s been nearly fourteen years since Olson and Louris have sung together, and in the interim, neither’s career has panned out as planned (whose ever does?). So this reunion always seemed as inevitable as Jay-Z breaking his retirement. It was mainly a question of when they would do it and how it would sound. Fourteen years is longer than I expected, but Ready for the Flood is better than I expected. This isn’t Hollywood Town Hall rebuilt or Next Week the Green Grass, but something older, wiser, more world weary—‘70s singer-songwriters on vinyl rather than Midwestern plains poets. Their voices don’t harmonize quite as closely as they once did, but Olson and Louris sound good together, natural and friendly. Not that I expected them to sound contentious after all these years.

On repeat: “Doves and Stones”

Todd Snider: Peace Queer (Aimless, October 14)

Much earlier in his career, Todd Snider seemed like a mellow country-rocker with a keen wit and a few acoustic guitar chords away from frat rock, but eight years of a disagreeable administration have brought out the freak-flag-waving hippie that in retrospect was toking up under the surface. Giving his liberal orneriness free rein, man, the self-released Peace Queer (a free download October 11-31) would be unbearable if he didn’t mix a bit of humor with his outrage and if he didn’t attack hippie folk, garage rock, and “Fortunate Son” with the same aplomb that he reserves for Bush’s foreign policy, veteran rights, and Wal-Mart parents. I like the idea of a spoken-word parable like “Is This Thing Working?” better than its execution, and I don’t like the idea at all of including two versions on such a short release. Regardless, Peace Queer is Snider at his freewheeling-est and freeloving-est.

On repeat: “Mission Accomplished (Because You Gotta Have Faith)”

Jeff Hanson: Madam Owl (Kill Rock Stars, August 19)

Androgyny is this season’s lupine-themed band name. Already soundtrack rockers Azeda Booth have released their soggy debut, and Death Vessel is releasing his crisp sophomore album, and now Jeff Hanson’s Madam Owl provides a similar showcase for his high, feminine falsetto, which gives opener “Night” and “Careful” their otherworldly sound. It could be a sideshow attraction, but Hanson writes sturdy, thoughtful songs and places them in folksy arrangements that set his voice against banjo, violin, and horns that nicely contrast. Madam Owl might be the best release to come out of this gender-bending mini-trend, but it also isn’t quite as startling as Hanson’s debut. Still, having expectations doesn’t lessen the impact of these carefully crafted, cleverly sung songs.

On repeat: “The Hills”

THIS DUD’S FOR YOU:

Wovenhand: Ten Stones (Sounds Familyre, September 9)

I didn’t get 16 Horsepower, David Eugene Edwards’ former band, and I don’t get Wovenhand either. On the latter’s fifth album in five years, Edwards writes in biblical pull quotes and paints everything in Sherwin-Williams Gothic Pitch^TM, but there’s no sense of wonder or discovery here. Even Nick Cave infuses his darkest songs with sex and humor. Ten Stones doesn’t build on Edwards’ fascination with the old weird America. It’s just more of the same.

Stephen M. Deusner is a freelance music journalist based in Washington , DC. Don't ask him about Norwegian pop or house rabbits, unless you have a few hours.