Albums of the Year # 82 The Golden Dregs - On Grace & Dignity

 

A lot of what I do on here is try to make connections. Ones that seem to make sense. For me and my imaginary reader on this blog. Whoever he or she might be. Descriptions of music are important, when you're writing about music. If you want to encourage that reader to listen to the artist or magician you're blathering on about and make connections of their own. Generally positive ones I hope. I don't often write about things I don't care about. I don't often listen to music I don't care for. This isn't a music magazine. What's the point?

I do care for The Golden Dregs though. They're good and I've recognised them as being good ever since I started hearing their music. On night time radio shows, their natural habitat, a few months ago. They're recognisably cool as soon as you hear them. In the same way as Leonard Cohen, Lee Hazlewood, and Johnny Cash are recognisably cool as soon as you hear them. In the way that some things are not. I won't embarrass the blameworthy, though perhaps I should, but I've just said that I don't like to dwell on things. Oh well. Bono. Let's just say that, and leave it there. Sorry Bono but despite your efforts down the years, you're still not cool.

 

The Golden Dregs are cool though. They're icy cool. Smokey cool. I'm not sure whether those two descriptions contradict each other. They work for me. They're Tom Waits cool. Beck cool. David Berman.  Kurt Wagner. Slightly depressed but clearly bright. Laconic. The glass is half empty, but also half full. It could go either way.

 On Grace & Dignity, the latest Golden Dregs record is cool. It signals particularly that Benjamin Woods, (who essentially is TGD), is a talent and a consolation. A consolation in that Leonard is no longer here and neither is Berman, but he is and he explores similar paths in order to console us. He understands humour of the darkest kind. He understands despair too and navigates a road somewhere between the two. 

On Grace & Dignity came out at the beginning of the year and I haven't listened to it enough. I'm going to see The Dregs, (if they'll forgive me for calling them that), on Wednesday and I'm looking forward to doing so. Will listen to this some more in the meantime, to ensure I'm fully prepared.