Aural Fixations

ANDERS PARKER
Tell It to the Dust
(Baryon)
The thing about Anders Parker is that he does what he does so well, with such heart and talent and integrity, that everything he does sounds new. Every sound, every mood sounds fresh. Tell It to the Dust is Parker's first solo album, sort of, though the five CDs he recorded under the band name Varnaline were solo efforts to varying degrees. (Brother John Parker and Jud Ehrbar were the other two thirds of Varnaline, and both guest here.) The Varnaline CDs Sweet Life and Songs in a Northern Key were sweeping soundscapes, lilting and beautiful and sparse, bittersweetly discordant yet harmonious. Tell It to the Dust is, largely, earthier and more direct, with elements of blues and old school soul creeping in. The title track is built on ringing acoustic guitars and organ. When Parker sings "I spent a year out there one night when you were gone" it's clear that, lyrically, whatever inspired Varnaline songs like "Blackbird Fields" and "Sweet Life" still resonates within him.

The piano ballad "Innocents" feels timeless, and in a perfect world would be a chart-topper; Elton John was rarely this good even in his heyday. "Come back now, sad eyes/Come back to where you belong," he sings with no pretension or melodrama. "Feel the Same," another piano-based song, finds Parker singing in surprisingly soulful falsetto, fulfilling the potential first heard on the eponymous Varnaline CD's "Really Can't Say." "I want you to know: everything's all right," he sings, and the optimism is refreshing. Ditto for "Don't Worry Honey, Everything's Gonna Be Alright." It rings and chimes and stares at the stars, and it might be the first one on the CD you just have to play for someone you love.

"Into the Sun" chugs and grinds, with Parker revisiting the psychedelic themes and sounds he works into his music so well; no matter what style he tackles, his songs remain distinctively his own. "Doornail (Hat's Off to Buster Keaton)" is so bluesy it could be a Hound Dog Taylor song, with roaring slide guitar and squawky vocals. "So don't you say your god'll work it all out, 'cause God won't change a thing," Parker sings as the band locks into a slack groove that they ride for nearly seven minutes. Smoke 'em if you got 'em.

Song by song, mood by mood, album after album, Anders Parker just does not disappoint, period. Tell It to the Dust is a master's portrait. Brian Briscoe [buy it]