
Ann Arbor, Mich.-based bluegrass quartet Wire in the Wood moves full steam ahead with their debut album, “All Fall Apart,” which dropped March 1.
This stunning seven-track album from the self-proclaimed “prog-bluegrass locomotive” fueled by Billy Kirst (vocals and guitar), Kyle Rhodes (vocals and mandolin), Jordan Adema (violin) and Ryan Shea (bass and vocals) pulls listeners along a personal journey while they ride in “psych-folk” boxcars filled with frustration, nostalgia, love and self-discovery.
The journey begins with the energetic title track and captures the frustration of living in an era when “…instead of seeing everyone as sisters and brothers/They started pointing fingers at one another.”
While the lyrics brilliantly capture anger and blame, the band’s acoustic guitar, violin, mandolin and bass harmoniously meld together and instrumentally portray a sense of hope for the future.
That hope is carried through to “Madison,” which features Kirst’s and Rhodes’ lush harmonies coupled with nostalgic lyrics and the fast-paced sonic partnership of Adema’s violin and Rhodes’ mandolin.
The next two stops include the six-minute Nickel Creek-inspired “April’s Song” with Adema’s dreamy extended violin solo and the romantically infused “The King and Queen” where “We will weave/The threads of our blessed souls/Together together/Till no one can tell us apart.”
The romance is short-lived through “Hold” and gradually dissipates in the tender instrumental “Yla Yla,” which sonically tells the passage of time and serves as a critical turning point in the journey.
The journey comes to a dramatic conclusion in the Ben Folds-themed 10-minute caboose of “Raindrops in a Cartoon Sunrise” with a closing instrumental section that echoes and lingers in the mind.
“All Fall Apart” proves to do just the opposite – it sonically ties Wire in the Wood’s personal journey together while keeping listeners on the right track.
listening now–digging it…
Some interesting connections here…