Majestic modesty
These are my first thoughts after a day of listening to One Deep River (and I'm sorry if several people already stated the same; I avoided reading comments until I could listen to it myself). Unsurprisingly, I love the album and will listen to it a thousand times. From beginning to end, because as usual, Mark isn't in the business of producing skippers. Certainly not for me. Also unsurprisingly, and although I like the album's consistent sound and feel (something that previous records could have profited from), I could very well live without Guy's synth contributions. I've got nothing against synths categorically, but I think they don't fit Mark's rootsy songs about trappers, trackers and whistling trains. One of Mark's idols, Bob Dylan, has proven that you can produce highly atmospheric albums without synths. Why Mark doesn't try that more often (Shangri-La remains an exception) is beyond me, but I'm also (almost) past caring by now. What did surprise me that there are no blues songs on the album, and hardly any Celtic instruments. Not a problem though; their absence makes the album even more consistent stylistically. What was interesting to see is that Mark seems to nick musical ideas from his own back-catalogue more often. Maybe that's just because this back-catalog has grown so big by now. It's not something that bothers me as long as the new songs develop the ideas further or take them into different territory. And it's what almost every artist will do - even someone like Damon Albarn, another favourite of mine who's almost pathetically afraid of repeating himself.
Now, to the individual songs.
Two Pairs of Hands – Very J.J. Cale, and I think the trick works better here than on Broken Bones, which I always thought sounded a bit stiff on the album (whereas I like the live versions). Could this song have profited from a break/middle section? Maybe. But I don't miss it, really.
Ahead of the Game – Unlike track number one, this one does have that middle section, and I'm reminded of how brilliantly Mark can put it to effect: "The sky's as big as nowhere", he sings, and suddenly the anti-hero's fate looks brighter – only to be dragged down to the reality and its sober groove. I love these moments – not many songwriters are good at them, and I wish Mark would still have the ambition of creating them more often at this point. Anyway, I don't understand why many of you seemed to be so disappointed by this song. Yes, the guitar could be a little more playful, especially towards the end – something that is true for a lot of his more recent songs – but I still like it a lot.
Smart Money – Wonderful! For some reason, I expected this to be simple, but it's not at all. Classic bitter-sweet Knopfler, and even to my favorite rhythm. If only someone would have told Guy to have some well-deserved tea while they were recording it. Oh, and did you spot the melody line nicked from Why-Worry?
Scavenger's Yard – Obviously a standout track stylistically. I'm pretty sure its theatrical effect could have been achieved without the added sounds and comping, but I'll stop complaining about that now. At least I'll try. Borrows a guitar line from Punish the Monkey. In the flow of the album, this serves a similar purpose as Back on the Dancefloor did on the last one, and why not. It's still well-embedded. The first time I heard such screaming guitar from Mark, by the way, was on Willy de Ville's Gun Control.
Black Tie Jobs – How about real strings? Anyway, this is obviously Basil's brother song, mentioning the Collins and Bobs again, and maybe even more touching. Emblematic of the kind of song Mark tries (and succeeds) to compose these days, I think.
Tunnel 13 – Expected this to be great, and great it is. Do I mind that he's using the same melody he came with for River of Grog? Not at all, as I love that one, too, and this is taking it to a different place. You're literally traveling with him to a time that was – well, not so different after all. He's done this time-jumping before (5.15 AM, Devil Baby ..., and he's very, very good at it. Film-like, not least thanks to the Topolski sisters.
Janine – Another one that I had expected to be a simple little tune, and now it's one of my favourites. Sister-song to Donkey Town. I love how the melody at "I've been trying to" is almost stopped mid-way - the music supports the song's meaning so well. Only question mark (apart from the synth, of course, that almost spoiled my all-time favourite track Seattle, which starts off in a very similar way): Why does he assume that the coda wouldn't need a bit more than playing along the main melody? Okay, it doesn't need more fanciful guitar, but it surely could use it.
Watch Me Gone – Very reminiscent of Follow the Ribbon musically – which I love dearly, so no objections to that. It's totally beyond me how some people didn't seem to like this when it came out. That wailing guitar, the chord changes, the lyrics, everything is bound to make you cry. Well, me, anyway. And what's wrong with these answering voices?
Sweeter than the Rain – More cinematic stuff. Leaving Guy's soundscape work aside, I'm a winter lover, and the melody is super close to that of Fare The Well, Northumberland, another all-time favourite of mine, so how could I possibly not love this?
Before My Train Comes – Not that I didn't like Long Cool Girl, but I always thought it was missing something. Now I know what (a middle scection!) This has similar chords, but it's just – better. I love the way how he never spells out what the "something you should know" is. No need to.
This One's Not Going to End Well – Proof of why we'll still need Mark even if he should lose both his hands and sell all his guitars. Who else can write songs like this one? Not many. Chord changes reminded me of Pale Imitation, but gladly it's much more than that. I was wondering whether Mark would react to recent/current events on this album, and here's the answer. In his own, timeless style. This is the first and only time, I think, where the Celtic team appears, and to my surprise, they don't seem out of place at all.
One Deep River. I wrote somewhere in a different post that each of Mark's albums (Dire Straits included) had moments that would bring me to tears. Well ... – "Amen". If this should be the closing song of his last album, he could be proud of it.
Overall, I would say that this album shines in something you could call "majestic modesty". Yes, I also occasionally found myself dreaming up the elaborate solos of old, but even without them, the songs are full of lyrical and musical depth, helped by wonderfully sensitive players, sung by Mark's uniquely warm and wise voice. I hope they'll keep on flowing.
