Uncommon Folk

Phosphorescent

Aw Come Aw Wry (Misra Records, 2005)
MP3: Dead Heart

Matthew Houck is the crackling voice and the brains behind Phosphorescent. After a few releases under his belt as Phosphorescent, this year Houck put out his best and most ambitious work to date, the album Aw Come Aw Wry. The record’s three greatest qualities are Houck’s impassioned vocals, brilliant lyricism; the albums grand compositions; and the spacey pedal steel guitar. While Houck writes the songs, the horn compositions are brought to life by M. Nicolas Cervini, Brent Jones and David Nelson. The pedal steel duties fall to John Neff whose contribution to Aw Come Aw Wry is incalculable. While the majority of the album is a laid back southern country-folk affair (Houck is originally from Alabama), there are a smattering of rowdier songs, including three (yes, three!) title tracks. Songs like Not a Heel feel like a lazy float down the river, while other songs like I Am A Full Grown Man (I Will Lay in the Grass All Day) have a louder and less controlled feel--like a free-spirit, Houck changes pace and degree on these songs from the subdued to gypsy-like weirdness complete with horns and assorted noises. Houck plays “the bottles” after all so nothing is off limits on Aw Come Aw Wry. And this is probably Phosphorescent’s greatest strength, like a shark, if it stops swimming it dies. Thus, the music is in constant change only strung together by Houck’s voice. When Houck brings in the Aw Come Aw Wry Choir the music takes on a transcendental quality, rising like a hard luck preacher stretching for the heavens. While Phosphorescent is undoubtedly a musical project by a fairly young man (age: 26) it does have its original qualities despite the constant comparisons to Will Oldham and bands like Neutral Milk Hotel. But, the constant change mentioned above is again Houck’s saving grace as an artist. Even if his inspirations are worn on his sleeve (which is for the listener to decide), they are done so in homage and in a great mixture of inspiration and experimentation. Derivative bands usually stick to one sound and follow the pattern. Houck never settles for patterns, cliche or copying. Everyone and everything they create has an influence, whether it be a person’s life, their imagination or other people. As Houck has stated in an interview with Uncommon Folk, his influences are much older which is quite apparent in his more traditional yet experimental style. Phosphorescent, in the end, is an amalgam of the traditional Americana past, recent innovators in the field of indpendent folk music and Houck’s great talent. Like Houck sings on the song Lost Name, “If I lost my name I would not feel bad, because I lost my name and I don’t feel bad.” Phosphorescent is very much like that great line; an amazing mixture where Houck may have lost his name (now Phosphorescent) but he still feels fine because in the end everything that has affected him, influenced him, hurt him, and changed him has come out of him through his vocal chords and appendages to make the kinds of sounds that in the past have mythically cost men their soul. So, losing one’s name seems a small price to pay and something one can always get back.

Entry Filed under: Reviews | August 11th, 2005