Tag: Graham Brown

For a journey into the darker elements of Americana music, Amsterdam might seem a surprising place to start. And yet it’s the Dutch capital from which this determinedly authentic voice of Gothic Americana hails. Silas J. Dirge is the pseudonym of singer and songwriter Jan Kooiker, and Swan Songs is his uncompromising fourth album. I say uncompromising because everything about it – the artist’s pseudonym, the simple cover design, the track titles – all point to it being an album of deep, dark intensity. And that is exactly what it is – you’ve been warned!

Americana is a broad term, and Silas’ music is generally described as being Country, which itself encompasses a wide range of styles. It’s from Country music that the phrase three chords and the truth came, used by Harlan Howard to describe a particular songwriting style. One that sets simple, poetic descriptions of the lives and struggles of working people, to simple and often sparse musical arrangements. That is the type of Country music to which Silas J. Dirge is dedicated.  In fact, this dedication has lead Silas to extremes, and some of his material has made three chords seem extravagant. On Swan Songs though, the arrangements are more ambitious, while retaining a sparseness and fierce authenticity. This is helped by collaborators, including Morgan Eve Swain on fiddle and upright bass, and Jaap Roo on piano.

With it’s sparse, haunting guitar, ‘Swan Song’ provides an impressive opening to the album. Its essentially an instrumental track, but there are voices in the background. These made me think of the Sirens of mythology, not because they are enticing (they have a sense of menace), but because they seem to be from elsewhere, disconnected from the music. The effect is haunting, but that word is often appropriate on this album

On ‘I Drink To Forget’, we get to hear Silas’ wonderfully authentic vocals, that could have come straight from a remote Appalachian farmstead. Those disembodied voices pick up from where they finished on ‘Swan Song’ and, although the tempo lifts a little, this is a song of deep regret. Over a simple guitar accompaniment, the narrator looks back on his relationship with his wife; ‘But I drink to forget all the worries and the pain that I caused you’.

This is followed by ‘The Saddest Girl Who Ever Lived’, an impressive track that was the first single taken from the album. It has a more intricate tune, with nice interplay between electric and acoustic guitars, and fairy tale lyrics telling a girl who cried for years. When she arrived in the narrator’s town, she filled the whole valley with a lake of tears. Like many fairy tales, it’s also a morality tale. No one in the town cares about the girl:

We ran her out of town, swinging torch and rake
No-one blinked an eye as she got thrown into the lake
What she whispered to the waves, none of us could hear
As our town got swallowed by a raging lake of tears

They didn’t care enough to help, and tried to make the problem go away – but it didn’t. A clever and thoughtful song.

A lilting acoustic guitar opens ‘Running From Myself’, before the now familiar downbeat vocals begin. As the narrator sings ‘I can’t do this no more, I’ve run so far but here you are,’ I don’t know if he’s literally trying to escape from himself, or the troubles of life. Either way, like everyone else on this album, he’s not happy! That said, ‘Under the Old Oak Tree’ strikes a more positive note, ‘Don’t you weep for me, I’m under the old oak tree’. Life is still hard, and it’s more resigned contentedness than joy, but this is a beautiful track with a gentle tune and a poignant lyric.

A powerful anti-war song follows. ‘Food For Powder’ is the second single taken from the album and again, it’s a strong and impressive track. From its starkly rhythmic opening, a powerful intensity builds up, with discordant electric guitar and background effects conveying the madness of conflict. The food in the title are innocent people sent to their deaths. As the track nears its end, the loud and discordant tune is accompanied by repeated shouts of ‘Feed the gun.’ The tempo then changes to a gentler, acoustic guitar sequence, over which the final lyrics are sung:

Feed the guns,
Brothers, fathers, sons,
Sisters, mothers, daughters,
Lead us to the slaughters.

Powerful stuff.

Despite its optimistic title, the emotional intensity doesn’t ease up on ‘Best Friends I Ever Had’. The narrator has finally found some friends, but all is not well and he’s plagued by troubling voices. As we approach the end, an unsettling whisper ask ‘Who do you trust?’ Troubling as it is, this is a good track with a fine jangling guitar tune, containing bluesy touches.

A short but very good instrumental track follows. ‘Dust Settling’ has a haunting, blues influenced guitar tune, and provides a welcome contrast to the intensity of the lyrics. Another good tune follows. ‘Dream In A Dream’ is a slower, folksy track with a bluegrass feel, helped by some good fiddle playing. As the title suggests, the lyrics are deliberately confusing

This brings us to the final track, ‘When I Went To Heaven’. With its gently lilting, blues inflected tune, it tells of a (possibly imagined) visit to heaven. This track confirms what has been hinted at elsewhere, that for all the gloomy intensity, Silas’ lyrics do have unexpected touches of humour. Heaven turns out to be empty, apart from Angels pouring over Biblical scrolls, then scratching their heads and tearing the scrolls up. Jesus appears, as an old man, but doesn’t seem to know what he’s meant to be doing. This heaven provides no answers or solutions. Swan Songs ends without much hope of redemption, but I didn’t expect that to be any different.

Swan Songs might seem a bit daunting, and it won’t appeal to everyone. This is a serious album that needs to be listened to properly. If you’re looking for something light and uplifting, this is not it. Neither would I recommend putting it on at a party, although the Gothic feel might suit a Halloween bash.

It is though, an album that succeeds on it’s own terms. Silas is clearly not a an artist who compromises to get commercial success, and has produced a fiercely authentic album. There are also some good songs, including the two singles which also have impressively cinematic videos. Silas is a talented performer and songwriter. His lyrics are poetic, sometimes quizzical, mostly dark and always intelligent. The intensity and authenticity also demonstrate an admirable dedication to his music. Country music often divides opinion. For anyone – and I’ve met a few of you – who associate it with cowboy boots, commercialised Country Pop, or cheesy all-American stuff that provides a soundtrack to Donald Trump rallies, this album might be a valuable corrective. It’s a taste of the real thing.

Graham Brown

Artist’s website: http://silasjdirge.com/

‘Food For Powder’ – official video: