Willy Mason: If the Ocean Gets Rough
If the Ocean Gets Rough is the follow up album to Where The Humans Eat
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Monday, 05, Mar 2007 05:22
Virgin, March 5th.
In a nutshell.
Stripped, folk, dreary, poetic, inconsistent
What's it all about?
Willy Mason refuses to compromise his current formula of laid back, acoustic balladry. On the So Long EP in 2005 the world was treated to an 'electric' number, but this was a fleeting affair with the world of rock 'n' roll. Mason's mainstay is folky tunes with politicised lyrics blended with small-town tales - perhaps reflecting his life in Massachusetts alongside his extensive travelling.
If the Ocean Gets Rough is a case of more of the same. It builds slightly on his debut Where the Humans Eat, but it leaves some of the edgy riffs that made that album so special behind in favour of stronger doses of folk credibility.
The single Save Myself is a blinding pop song, with all of the edginess of Oxygen making it a powerful protest song. "When the old religion is the new creed/When the vultures copyright the word free" he sings, before the song jumps up a notch for the next batch of cultural references.
The disappointing thing about If the Ocean Gets Rough is Save Myself is about as good as it gets. It's certainly not a bad record; Gotta Keep Walking reminds me of Still a Fly on Where the Humans Eat. But often Mason leaves you feeling like you've missed the boat. It's not that his tunes are inaccessible, it's that often their earthy roots float easily over your head.
Who's it by?
Mason is still only 22 and constantly being labelled as a possible 'new Dylan' isn't the best way to ease the pressure. The fact that he can put together a good song with an acoustic guitar marks him out from the current bunch of reprobate hit makers. But other than this, and the obvious protest song element, Mason lacks the excitement of a true star.
Having been handpicked by Radiohead to support them on their last full tour, Mason is understandably regarded as one of the strongest talents to have emerged in the folk genre for some time. But the question still stands as to whether this kind of music has a future when solo artists like Patrick Wolf are pushing so many other boundaries? At times, when listening to Mason, the answer is emphatically yes. But all too often the highs are matched by equally resounding lows.
As an example.
"I said baby I'll be good some day/Gonna try again tomorrow/Try again tomorrow/I couldn't take that stale on place/In those rooms I lost my faith." We Can Be Strong is a great song and demonstrates Mason's great vocal. But it also reveals the dreary nature of this record as the song drowns in its own repetitiveness towards the end.
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
It remains to be seen whether this album will retain Mason his tag of being the next big thing.
What the others say
"Mason is still clearly a special talent with an equal skill for conveying sorrow and joy and hope. Maybe his dream can be saved, but, if only because feeling said isn't as good as feeling happy, this isn't as enjoyable as before." NME
"He's still only 22, but on his second album Willy Mason sounds as though he has the weight of the entire messed-up world on his shoulders." Guardian
So is it any good?
If the Ocean Gets Rough is certainly a dreary record. Mason's debut was magical, not because of its irrepressible joy, but because of the tunes. Disappointingly, Mason drops the simplicity of Where the Humans Eat for a more traditional folk approach and this album only peaks when he heads back to familiar ground.
I Can't Sleep and Riptide boast melancholic virtues alongside some enticing lyrics, with Mason discussing his life at home and namedropping the kind of terms that pigeonhole his life, like fish lines pulled to tight and creaky beds overlooking the countryside. It brings forth images of a truly American landscape and works perfectly with Mason's music.
Save Myself and Gotta Keep Walking find Mason at his best, with his chant-like singing and simple guitar strums producing easy and addictive pop. "Singing mama's songs/When the lights come on/She said we've gotta keep walking/keep walking," involves an interesting note change that moves the song up a notch and delivers an infectious chorus.
Save Myself takes a swipe at the US when it's placed in the big picture. "When I live in a country without history/One that buried its roots with its identity/We still are searching for liberty/We still are hiding from reality," he sings, producing a memorable lyric and possibly his strongest song yet.
It's easy to get hung up on this album's highs, as when you branch out into the likes of When the River Moves On nothing new or imaginative pops out at you. The theme of the sea and the desolate towns that line its sad shores are well and truly languishing in 'drearyville' rather than enlightening you with refreshing verses.
Simple Town is a welcome addition and captures Mason's mournful tone when it really works. "There's demons in the trees/Come and rescue me," sums up the dejected but powerful nature of Mason's songwriting when he truly hits the mark.
This record isn't as original as Mason's debut and lacks the clarity and character of his earlier work. It still has its moments, but let's hope there's far stronger to come.
6/10
Karl Pike