by Charlie Bailey (@hectic_skeptic)
Nashville’s Styrofoam Winos have been a part of some of the biggest alt-country comeups in the last five years, largely flying under the radar. From playing with MJ Lenderman before his breakout into indie stardom—and Winos members being a part of Ryan Davis’ touring Roadhouse Band—the trio of Lou Turner (LT), Trevor Nikrant, and Joe Kenkel have amassed a tremendous amount of experience to go along with their natural musical acumen and Swiss Army Knife style of interplay. Their new album, Any River is an infectious, intimate slate of tracks blending folk-country tradition and the modernity of collective avant garde songwriting technique.
One of the most interesting things about Styrofoam Winos from the beginning has been their live performance. Something they’ve struck gold on with Any River is translating their versatility and live energy into a banging record.
The Winos operate on a lead-singer by committee basis and most of their songs spawn from collectivity and a group-fueled inspiration. From blackout poetry writing by scrapping and pasting words, or lines from existing texts, or the musically improvised ‘figuring things out’ carved from jam sessions, the trio is always on the edge of spontaneity while drawing from their wealth of influences.
As far as how soundtracking flows on Any River, each member has a unique grasp on all of the instruments that appear on the album. The ever-rotating nature of how the band plays makes for some beautifully innate variance that you never get sick of hearing. An array of trumpets, keys, and flutes pop up throughout, along with the more traditional guitar-led melodies. An elephant-like bass clarinet solo provided by producer Jim Marlowe (Roadhouse Band, Pointed Ankh) butts its head in on “Somebody Wants To Send You A Message,” accounting for the only outside music on the record.
My favorite thing about the new album is the wry seriousness the Winos are able to capture both in writing and playing. The writing is personal and effects a certain gravity to everyday scenarios, but this always comes with baggage; it's almost like you have to take what they say with a grain of salt. Like the line in “New Friend,” “Here I go again / Making grocery lists with a fountain pen.” Or “Next Thing” with its killer guitar lick that I can’t get out of my head, has lines popping up like, “My voice crack’s debut act…” or “A bird did its business on my hood again / It’s time to get onto the next thing.”
There’s an irony, a sort of nihilistic one on Any River. But just like the title suggests the band is always going with the flow and pushing forward. From the jammy approach to “Swimminin” with A Velvet Underground-like hazy jangliness and an unbothered 60s attitude, to the utter sincerity of the closing track where the brand preaches “Be your own Elvis.” There are quips, there are comedic lines, but like all good jokes, Styrofoam Winos hang onto that kernel of truth and use their talent to get it across.
In short, Styrofoam Winos did not get here by accident. Any River is their best album yet. It will make you feel a range of emotions, and it’ll make you have fun and dance along while doing so. And it would be criminal not to mention at least one of the plethora of food references when talking about this album, and I think this line is an especially beautiful one to leave off on: “All of the sauce that turned our tupperware orange-y red / Is watching over the house and all of the sauces ahead.” So like those tupperwares, give the album a listen and let these lines stick with you.