Repackaged 1990s alt-country time travel trips have rarely felt this rewarding.
It’s far easier said than done, but why does this album, the third by St. Louis outfit Nick Gusman and the Coyotes, and as fine a piece of 1990s alt-country revivalism as you could wish for, collate together so well and remain a real pleasure on the ear after multiple listenings?
For one thing, nearly all the reasons why americana fans so often hark back to the 1990s as the golden age of the genre are present on ‘Lifting Heavy Things’, and in abundance. First and foremost, the punchy, tightly disciplined sound that came to characterize the very best music (well, ok, americana) of that particular decade, pulling together the compact killer tunes of pop’s new wave with the lilting edge of traditional country, is very much present and correct. No matter which of the ten tracks on ‘Lifting Heavy Things’ you go for first, it’s like a time trip back to an age when deftly constructed, unpretentious lyrics and attractively straightforward melodies ruled the musical (well, ok, americana) roost.
So it’s evident from this album that Gusman and his five-piece backing band have an admirably clear-eyed appreciation of the strengths of 1990s alt-country. But what surely promotes ‘Lifting Heavy Things’ from the category of ‘memorably good’ to something even more superior is how effectively other musical influences and styles are weaved into the album as well.