Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
Though Americana isn’t known for boasting the beastliest beats around, that didn’t stop Mike Stinson and Johnny Irion from riddling their new album Working My Way Down with some of the more provocative grooves you will find on either side of the country this April. In tracks like the enigmatic “Only Friend I Ever Had,” lush “You Came a Long Way from St. Louis,” and searing “LA Cowboy,” rhythm is as big a role player as any other component in the music is – from the guitars to the vocals and back to the subtle low tones that emit understated textures in the background. For Stinson and Irion, leaving unutilized space in the master mix just wasn’t an option when constructing Working My Way Down; here, efficiency, much like evocative musicianship, is of paramount importance at all times.
URL: https://mikestinsonjohnnyirion.com/
The strings tell us a story all their own in “Stranger Here Myself,” “Last Chance to Hide from Love,” “The Bottle and Me,” and “Taking No For an Answer,” and had they not been beefed up by the equalization, I’m not sure that they would have been as expressive an element as they undeniably are on this occasion. Where words can’t equate the broader emotions that Stinson and Irion are trying to impart to the audience in these songs, the guitar fills in the edges with an emotionality that even the most stirring of poetry could never get across to us, no matter how talented the singer translating it into melodic treasure may or may not be. This duo’s contemporaries could stand to learn something from their attention to detail, and more importantly, their adherence to simplicity over unnecessary complexities.
To me, I think that “Ponderosa Pine,” “Only Friend I Ever Had,” and “LA Cowboy” were crafted for the stage more than they were for a studio setting, and although I enjoyed each of these songs in the form they’re presented to us in Working My Way Down, my gut tells me that they would sound a lot more potent before a live audience. There’s so much heat in the harmonies of “Only Friend I Ever Had” and “LA Cowboy” in particular, and while the mix compensates for the limited space they’re afforded here fairly well, these tracks have unquestionably inspired me to try and see Stinson and Irion the next time they’re in a city near me (mostly to see how well their studio presence translates in person).
DOWNLOAD LINK: https://found.ee/johnnyirion
Mike Stinson and Johnny Irion are fresh faces in the hierarchy of the American underground, but in Working My Way Down, they show off an undeniable potential that is bound to have even the harshest of critics raising an eyebrow this spring. From the rustling grooves of its title track to the somber undertones that adorn its closing number in “Stranger Here Myself,” this is a record that throws plenty of surprises in the direction of listeners, but at the end of the day, for all that it lacks in predictability it more than makes up for originality and a charming melodic nucleus that isn’t as common in modern music as it used to be.
Brent Musgrave
