★★★★½
Not since Refused’sThe Shape Of Punk To Comehas there been as prophetic an album title as Sturgill Simpson’sMetamodern Sounds In Country Music.
With his breakthrough second album, Simpson established himself as one of the genre’s most progressive minds, blending the grit of its traditional origins with psychedelia, blues and rock’n’roll. The best part? He’s far from finished.
As thoroughly excellent as Metamodern was, Simpson has gone above and beyond – in as many senses as one can imagine – on A Sailor’s Guide To Earth. The album launches forth in grandiose fashion with ‘Welcome To Earth (Pollywog)’, brimming with Queen-sized vocal layers and triumphant horns that stem from Simpson’s quiet, intimate addressing of his newborn child.
It’s an album with equal footing in both the past and the present: ‘Brace For Impact (Live A Little)’ is an existential bar-room shuffle, while Nirvana’s ‘In Bloom’ transforms from thudding screech into gentle lullaby. Through masterful production and an expansive array of sounds, Simpson has put together what can only be described as a game-changer.
Metamodernity be damned – Sturgill Simpson has become the living embodiment of music that’s out leaving crop circles and dreaming of the great beyond.
Sturgill Simpson’sA Sailor’s Guide To EarthAtlantic/Warner.
