Modern Country is a conceptually ambitious, heartfelt undertaking. Some might notice the lack the unbridled colour that characterized Impossible Truth, but ultimately, it isn't enough to hinder the listener's experience; Tyler's profound understanding of his homeland makes Modern Country an incredibly memorable endeavour.
Modern Country, Tyler’s third album, is described as a “love letter” to this vanishing world. Yet for all the focus on the past, it is musically a lightyear-leap forwards.
Modern Country is the guitarist at both his most giving and lucid.
An impeccable piece of instrumental magic, each song is expansive and cinematic. This has to be one of the most immediate instrumental albums I have ever heard. There are references to 70's folk and country music (I see you Windham Hill Records!), but it sounds rather timeless. This is the album I play if I am in the car and I need to feel like I'm in a 'Thelma and Louise' montage.
American primitivism dressed up as widescreen americana dreamscapes - the best sort of 'background music' you could hope to find.
1 | Highway Anxiety 9:06 | |
2 | I'm Gonna Live Forever (If It Kills Me) 5:25 | |
3 | Kingdom of Jones 3:32 | |
4 | Albion Moonlight 3:17 | |
5 | Gone Clear 6:07 | |
6 | Sunken Garden 4:17 | |
7 | The Great Unwind 8:25 |
#4 | / | Magnet |
#15 | / | Time Out New York |
#21 | / | Uncut |
#32 | / | Piccadilly Records |
#45 | / | Pitchfork |
#54 | / | Rough Trade |
/ | AllMusic |