January 2021 offers a great chance to analyze 20th century poetry and to chart how far we have come in this span of time.
After years of being as buttoned up as their Victorian outfits, poetry flowed out of writers in the early 20th century thanks to the free verse of T. S. Eliot (American-born, fled to England) and Ezra Pound. These imagists took their influence not only from the English romantics but poetry from other cultures. As they disintegrated the rules, they hoped to draw the common man into their creations. One has to look at the elimination of these restrictions as the introduction of possibilities. Pound drew influence from Chinese poetry and expounded to the point of creating both a new form of lyric poetry before eventually boiling it down to characters on a page as representation of abstract content.
Before Pound descended into his modus operandi in “The Cantos,” he edited the quintessential modernist poem, Eliot’s “The Waste Land.” Pound shrunk it down by roughly half, and the result was fragmented but fantastic. The 434-line text draws from the history of literature, scripture and even ancient texts from around the world. In addition, Eliot’s work became a resource of its own for notable quotes (“April is the cruelest month” and “I will show you fear in a handful of dust”) and inspiration for most who dared to read it.
Published in 1922, “The Waste Land” would become the lingua franca for modern poets to follow.
NEW MUSIC THIS WEEK
Morgan Wallen
Dangerous: The Double Album [2LP/2CD]
(Big Loud/Republic)
Country music in the 21st Century is just not synonymous with taking chances. As ego-centric as it looks (the title was a running joke between Wallen and his manager,) putting six singles on the radio and then releasing another 24 to go with it may prove to be the smartest risk Country has taken in a long while. Wallen has talent to burn. His smooth Alan Jackson-ish croon paired with Joey Moi's Nineties sheen and R&B-ish pull is irresistible even to Pop listeners (three of those six singles went Top 20, his best songs the brilliant "7 Summers" just re-entered the Hot 100 again.) His Garth-ish attitude and confidence fuels his writing and singing as he needs three separate songs to extol his love of Country and three more to pour "Whiskey" into the stream of titles. From the looks of "Dangerous," Morgan Wallen looks to be with us for quite a while.
Strung Like A Horse
WHOA! [CD]
(Transoceanic)
Americana is designed to be a mixture of music that could honestly hide beneath the same umbrella. A good Americana album should have a couple of singles perhaps paired with two deeper cuts or acoustic departures. This balanced attack should even draw in Folk-ish concepts and Rock-ish construction. After all, Bluegrass can be fast enough for someone to (gently) bang their head. On their debut "WHOA!," all the strands are joined and this band emerges as a natural successor to the Avett Brothers.
Chattanooga's Strung Like A Horse has Mississippi roots and proudly shows them on "Gold In Their Souls," deals out stories ("Pelahatchie Nights") and even good advice ("Forget What They Think") without any pretension. All along, producer Matt Ross-Spang keeps the band and their sound rigidly focused on not resembling anyone you know too much, yet always carrying you on that familiar feel.
Viagra Boys
Welfare Jazz [LP/CD]
(YEAR0001)
A victory for the unpredictable. Sweden's Viagra Boys rode out of their Scandinavian scene with a brash Punky punch and some Post-modern ideas about clever yet biting lyrics on 2018's "Street Worms." Having conquered the Indie scene in the States pre-COVID, Viagra Boys return with a blazing, brazen, and almost painfully honest glimpse of not just their lives - but ours too. Like a new Fall, the acidic lyrics sometimes drip off of Sebastian Murphy's tongue. However, "Welfare Jazz" is not afraid to reach for the thought-provoking lyrics in the middle of Burroughs-ian mix of absurdity and cynicism. "Creatures" is a grower whose imagery creates a kind of aquarium in a state of living outside of time, while "Ain't Nice" threatens to burn it all down just because they can. However, do not be fooled by their nihilism. There's a heart beating beneath their cool, collected surface. "Welfare Jazz" is more human as the band who had everyone laughing on "Street Worms" fantastic "Sports" ("Baseball. Basketball. Wiener Dog.") reveals this time they were after a more dark, philosophical conclusion (that album's real standout "Worms" which postulates that while death may be our common destiny, having a destiny is actually what we have in common.) - fix your troubles when you are struck by the reality of having other options.
