Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
“Redneck Magic,” the new single by Robert Abernathy + SMO, is not a recreation of the country rock of yesteryear. In this song, audiences and critics alike are brought front and center to witness the deconstruction and reassembly of a band in real-time. We listen as the strings find each other and connect within a single verse to form a structure for the track; we’re there as the percussion is born out of sheer intensity and the vocals come to life out of a sterling black void. Robert Abernathy has made some very thoughtful music in recent times, but they tap into a sublimely postmodern side of their collective personality in this single which is as thought-provoking as it is spellbinding.
The music exposes itself from the start of the song as being unapologetically raw and unaffected by the trends of modern pop music. The rhythm bleeds through the percussion and is propelled by the stampeding melancholy being produced by the guitar. There’s a nod to the Delta blues in the swing, but it’s restricted by the countrified march of the beat. “Redneck Magic” is as nimble as they come yet as volatile as can be; the temperamental harmony isn’t as threatening as it could be thanks to Abernathy’s tender vocal, thus proving the concept behind the song’s design to be a solid one.
Production-wise, this single is a force to be reckoned with. Using nothing more than a gentle mix, the band makes it possible for even the most analytical of music enthusiasts to appreciate all of the splendid detail within the instrumentation, which is tight and focused, to say the least. For being as reckless in tone as it is, “Redneck Magic” is very elegant in its presentation. The packaging is slick and the narrative isn’t obscured by the music at all, which isn’t always a sure thing with indie tracks that are as creatively ambitious as this one is.
There’s an insistence in the percussion that makes the pace of the song feel much faster than the tempo really is, but it’s a welcomed shot of adrenaline as far as I’m concerned. The menacing element in this song is its contrasting vocal/guitar dynamic that comes straight out of traditional country but isn’t directly tied to throwback culture or the bands that are pushing it. The bucolic sway of the strings is destroyed by the beat intentionally, and as a result, we end up with a song that is defiantly rock-friendly as opposed to willfully isolated by the boundaries of traditional country music.
Excitingly flexible is one way to put it, but there’s no getting around the fact that “Redneck Magic” is a seductive slice of experimental country magic that few Nashville aficionados would disagree with. I simply love the way that Abernathy channels Americana in this song without actually washing the track in aesthetical repetitiveness. The maturely crafted lyrics demand a reaction from us just as much as the band’s instrumentation does, which doesn’t just make this track a well-balanced effort; it makes it a fully realized encapsulation of their collective persona.
Ruby Jensen
