Four Letter Town

excellent album

     

The first two Hiders albums are strong, but this new release exceeds the first two. The addition of Kevin Carlisle to the Hiders line-up in 2009 brought a new depth and dimension to this very talented group from Cincinnati, greatly complementing the songs of lead Hider and guitarist Billy Alletzhauser.

Thematically, the album is one of the best recorded explorations of life in small town Midwest. It achieved what John Mellencamp was trying to write about in the 1980's, with themes of disappointment, disillusionment, and unrealized ambitions when trapped in a small "four letter town". Musically, this album continues to surprise with the guitar and keyboard interplay of Alletzhauser and Carlisle. The first two Hiders album were clearly in an alt-county mode, but this album also has touches of jazz, even old time 6/8 time signatures (at least to my ears) on "Running Back to You", almost sounding as if it was written in the early part of the 1900's. My favorites are "Aberdeen", "LIghter Than Low" and the epic "The Wind The Dust and The Rain". But this album is best listened to from start to finish, as the themes start to develop and unfold. After I listened to this album four times, I was hooked and could not stop listening to it.

It might sound like hyperbole, but I'd rate this album as comparable to Anodyne or Trace.