#34 - Phil

Drive-by Truckers

Decoration Day

2003

Six years ago, my mom told me about this country band whose CD she had purchased and could not stop listening to called Drive-by Truckers. I said, “Are you serious, Mom? You don’t even like country!” She said, “I know, but I REALLY like this!” Intrigued, I decided to listen to the Truckers’ album she had purchased, Decoration Day. Even before the record was finished, I knew I was listening to something quite special.

The album opens with a slow and very traditional-sounding song called “The Deeper In.” It’s an incredibly powerful ballad about a girl who’s had four children with her father, written in a way that keeps the listener in the dark until the very end: “So you jumped on his bike and rode into the sunset / But the sequel it started with the next morning sun / And the dew on the bike seat and you all a glow / From the love he put in you and a life on the run.” These are the types of stories the Drive-by Truckers gravitate towards – solemn and inescapably hopeless. “My Sweet Annette” describes an affair between the narrator and his fiancé’s best friend that shows sincere empathy for the woman who’s been cheated on. “Sounds Better in the Song” is one of the most affecting songs I’ve ever heard at illustrating the feeling of losing the love of one’s life: “I might as well have slipped that ring on your finger from the window of a van as it drove away…” And the album’s closer, “Loaded Gun in the Closet,” tells the story of a lonely housewife who spends every day going through the motions, waiting for the day when she’ll finally put an end to it all. -P.W.

Unlike Steve, I dig some good ol’ alt-country. I think it’s because I grew up with my parents playing country all the time. While I can’t take the pop country they tend to listen to, twang and Southern folk really take me back to simpler times. I hadn’t heard of Drive-by Truckers until last year with Brighter Than Creation’s Dark, which was a fantastic album if you can make it through the hefty one hour + run-time. In fact, that’s the only complaint I have about these folks: they can’t seem to edit themselves. While I really enjoyed this album, I have a hard time holding the album up as one of the best of the decade. I wouldn’t insult them by calling them a guilty pleasure, but I also tend to only reserve these guys for relaxing after an intense week of classes. - Ryan

I should start this response by saying that I've never had much of an affinity for alt-country. In particular though, the Drive-By Truckers have never clicked for me. One theory I've concocted is that the Drive-By Truckers sound a little more authentic than most alt-country aimed at the indie sect, hell, they even go so far as to directly ape the sounds of Lynard Skynard. And few bands leave a worse taste in my mouth than 'Skynard. - Steve