essential recording
After six albums on which he constantly moved back and forth between classic folk and country traditions, Joe Henry really hit his artistic stride on the brilliant Trampoline. While the album finds him occasionally drifting toward both of those familiar modes, Trampoline also introduces us to Joe Henry, the pop-rock experimentalist. From the exotic guitar strum that opens the album on “Bob and Ray,” through a feedback-drenched cover of a Sly Stone obscurity ( [Read More...]
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this album has become one of my favorite joe henry albums, not only for the elegance of the lyrics but also for the brooding darkness lurking in every song. trampoline exudes pain and despair in nearly every track, but escapes oppression with brilliant sounds and instrumentals (who else could use a pump organ, tape loops, electric guitar, operatic soprano AND a barbershop choir and not only escape disaster but end with such intoxicating results?). as others before me have mentioned, “flower girl” is a song of unrivalled beauty and mystery and probably joe henry’s most hypnotic (and confounding) song ever. “parade” and “trampoline” both hint at memories that haunt long after the events that inspired them and even the happier sentiments on the album belie an inevitable isolation. though other reviewers mention a disconnected feel to the album, i think the flow of the songs is wonderful and dreamlike with the perfect balance between despair and reprieve.
Operating for years on the roots rock/folk circuit, Joe Henry didn’t just change his sound for this release. He effectively changed the direction he would take on subsequent releases, in effect starting over. While his prior CDs were good and garnered much critical acclaim, there was nothing to prepare the listener for this. I am no die-hard Joe Henry fan, (Scar and Fuse leave me cold) but there is no doubting the brilliance of Trampoline. Every song is impressive, like a greatest hits album of new material. Guest guitarist Page Hamilton from Helmet was a wise choice. Hard to pick highlights here, but two songs that harken back to Joe’s country/folk days, “Go With God” and “Parade” are among the best things he has recorded.
I bought this because an indie radio station played “Trampoline” one night. I soon found that “Ohio Plane Show Crash” was an instant like as well as the great reverb and drumming on “Trampoline”, and one of the most underrated song of music in my opinion , “Parade”. a very good CD to sit back and reflect….