Long Night

Album review

Despite all the clichés about open carry and pickup trucks, Texas has a very dense musical history spanning over a century. Buddy Holly, Ornette Coleman, Janis Joplin are all children of the Lone Star State, where conjunto, tex-mex and chicano rock were born. The activity on the scene is partly a result of the state’s geographic position, between the Midwest, the Deep South and Mexico. “Cowboy culture” is an important part of its cultural fabric, and Texans have defended that proudly, with movements such as outlaw country music in the mid-70s that sought to fight back against the Nashville sound which was perceived as a cop out for greater commercial appeal. Willie Nelson, Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt were at the core of the movement, often putting storytelling at the center of their music. Which brings us, 40 odd years later, to Jordan Moser. He was a dancer in an Austin ballet company for ten years, and in that sense the grace and power in Long Night are a reflection of his craft. The balancing act between tension and release on the eponymous title (a soulful, Rhodes-driven ballad) is sensual and melancholic. And then Molly Burch’s backing vocals come in, and the feeling of intimacy grows, especially on the closing track Road To Trouble. The instrumentation on the record is mostly standard fare for a country/folk album, with mostly guitars and lap steels underneath Moser’s yearning voice. However, arrangements don’t necessarily evoke a country album in the usual, stereotypical sense. Most of the tracks are on the slow side of tempo, giving Moser plenty of space. Jeff Crozier’s subtle percussive work also works wonders, bringing emphasis only on some of the tracks, and backing out on others (such as The Fool). Last but not least, the lyrical facet of the album is also worthy of praise, and it ‘s also where Moser finds the most common ground with said Outlaw Country greats like Clark or Van Zandt: the Texan is a talented songwriter and seems to enjoy playing with the ambiguities of lost love and time passing by. His debut is filled with one-liners such as : “I may be blind, but I’m full of penetrating vision / Radiate forever, like the first radio transmission“ ; bittersweet commentary that glides between introspection and commenting on the world around him, drawing a laugh one second and then a tear the next. His first album with Keeled Scales is a complete package: musical talent, songwriting capabilities, sensible execution. The only downside: at barely 30 minutes, this Long Night leaves us wanting more. © Alexis Renaudat/Qobuz