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Intimations of mortality
After two albums of wily, adolescent country, Rhode Island’s Deer Tick hits adulthood—and all the heartbreak and fear of mortality that comes with it—hard on these ragged, shadowy ballads. John McCauley III’s fiberglass croak couldn’t sound further from Neil Young’s whimper, but The Black Dirt Sessions is this band’s After the Goldrush, stuffed with devastating songs laid bare by weathered, redemption-seeking renegades. In the brooding “Twenty Miles,” McCauley howls, “If you’ve lost your way, I’m seeing you through” with my-time-here-is-limited angst; crawling piano dirge “Goodbye, Dear Friend” is hauntingly intimate (“You carry on … in the unmade bed you slept in, where I laid you down to rest one last time”). Only swamp-rocker “Mange” quickens the pace. Dirt is pensive, painful stuff, tougher than leather and rawer than a bleeding steak—but that’s life, right?
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This comment probably won't make it through moderation since I'm about to contradict the author, but here goes:
Album was recorded at the same time as "Born on Flag Day".
Most of the songs on this album have been played live for several years (and some, "Hand in My Hand" for example, predate even the formation of Deer Tick). Others appear recorded in some form or another on various EP's/Demos/Records released over the years by John.
A few of the songs on the album (just like "Born On Flag Day") include guitar-work by Andy T who is no longer in the band, but unfortunately I have yet to see him credited in any articles or reviews.
Those little tidbits sort of negate the argument that these songs or recordings somehow represent a "more mature" Deer Tick.
As for the quality of the album and/or songs, I agree: it's a pretty good album.
In my humble opinion, I'm a little disappointed that the band has been falling more and more into the category of generic "Rock" than using their talents toward something a little more interesting or unique.