Old Pup has made a special record that I believe will stand the test of time and hold on to your attention the whole way through. A follow up to his first album, Incognito Lounge (an homage to Denis Johnson’s poetry collection), it expands on similar themes that the songwriter has explored, with allegorical nods to fellow travelers. Hansen is writing songs that build upon the myths and archetypes of our American mythology while also creating his own.
Spider Towns was made with an assembled cast of Milwaukee musicians and some from other far flung corners of the country. It is a collection of fully realized compositions: slow burners and dusty dirges, grand weepers and grim reapers!
Old Pup stands on the shoulders of the poets and wanderers that have come before him and does what some of the best artists have attempted: create art representing the times while incorporating the symbols of poets and artists who have provided the path. And, thankfully, Hansen accomplishes this without finger-pointing or bloviating. It feels of this era but also timeless, making it deserving of the listener spending a little extra time with this artifact. (the album cover is a beautiful drawing by artist and musician Ryan Davis who we have written about here)
The first side of Spider Towns is pretty damn perfect. The title track opens in 3/4 time with a memorable line:
Hungover teacher
puts on a movie in the dark
retires to the lounge
It unfolds. A cacophony of strings, pedal steel, and very sparse and tasteful percussion, with lyrics full of insight and witticisms without ever seeming too heavy-handed. This is always hard to get just right. After spending time with the album, it seems to get better with each listen. A rare feat.
“Stalactites” dissects the banality of “enlightenment” and the monotony of “growing up” with light hearted yet profound quips about how to pass the time. “Bee” has some great lines and a great outro. Many of the songs have a little extra tacked on at the end that provide a memorable moment to hang on to; extra sonic exploration, heavy on the pedal steel and Omnichord. What an unusual but heavenly combination!
“House of Wind” is a standout track on an album that makes it hard to choose favorites. It paints an almost nightmarish landscape so beautifully and uses language that sound like something out of a Herman Hesse novel written about the ailments of the 21st Century.
The first side of the album ends with a “Character Study”, of the inflatable dancer mentioned in the track before it. A nice commercial break before flipping to side B.
The other side of the record is just as blissful. “Butter” is a one of my favorites, with memorable lines to hold on to:
I can’t believe it’s not butter.
My love is burning the biscuit.
I should hire a mystic
to show me my next move
The album feels whole and there is not a weak point worth pointing out; not a one! The songs seem to scaffold and support one another in a way that, once you are hearing the last fade out of “Sweet Dreams (When You Get There)”, you want to flip back to the beginning and start the sequence all over again.
I got to meet Hansen when he came through New Mexico. He put on no airs. His performance was captivating, both his set of songs he sang as well as his wordless pedal steel set. He also played a Silver Jews cover that seemed to fit just right. There was something very refreshing about the absence of shtick or persona, just a very sincere artist with a serious art practice.
Old Pup has created a very strange and beautiful record of songs that reflect on a very strange and beautiful time. Buy the record and a pair of “Old Pup” socks when he comes to your town. Tell him I sent you!
Will Hansen can also play pedal steel like a son-of-a-bitch… all over Spider Towns and elsewhere… (see above) keep your eyes peeled for his name on album credits.
Evan O’Neal is co-founder, music columnist, and editor of High Horse Magazine. Feel free to send him your band’s new music here: therealhighhorse@gmail.com
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