If you were ever turned on by the curmudgeonly slurred miserablism of folks like Swell, Smog and John Cale then ‘Fort Recovery’ is likely to leave you hot, thirsty and grasping for the fizz laden rock of tracks like ‘Covered Up In Mines’, ‘Calling Thermatico’ and ‘Take A Rake’, each crawling languorously towards somekind of strung-out existentialism and each showcasing the raw, soporific vocal feats of one Will Johnson of Centro-Matic. Part dreamy, part dusty, part pretty, part all-black, Will Johnson perfects the haunting, gentle suicide of alt-country sweethearts like Sparklehorse by drawing equally upon the sprawling, poetic psycho-drama of Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here’ and the elegiac ‘Final Cut’. And believe it or not, it’s damned near perfect.
From the distressed vocal treatment at the beginning of ‘I See Through You’ and the backward loops and violins immediately following it, to the collapsing drum-kit sound of ‘Monument Sails’, the richly mercurial Johnson troughs and peaks through a breathtaking range of emotions, touching on everything from impatience, vitriol, fear, surprise and isolation. The thin and nervous vocal habits of ‘Triggers and Trash Heaps’ and ‘Nothin’ I Ever Seen’ may recall the anxious flights of The Flaming Lips and Neil Young, but there’s a focus and a strength that surpasses the whimsical fancies of either.
Having already written and recorded three South San Gabriel records in addition to the two solo albums preceding this, Will Johnson is nothing if not busy. Recorded in Denton Texas at Matt Pence’s Echo Lab studio where the likes of American Music Club and Jay Farrar have produced albums, ‘Fort Recovery’ is a masterful album, beautifully crafted from all the misshapes, rags and bones of an artist in total control of their game.