Dane and Brandon are back to review the latest from Tyler Childers: the triple album Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven? Aaron was unavailable due to a prior commitment on his home planet. What were our staff’s thoughts? Were three versions necessary? Find out below!
Ritter: Shoo doggies it’s time for another Staff Inspection!
Hallelujah Version
“Old Country Church”
Slone: Very good opening track. One of my favorites on the whole thing. I’m going to have a lot more to say about pretty much every song once we get into Jubilee, but a strong start.
“Can I Take My Hounds to Heaven?”
Slone: Plug for The Twilight Zone, season 3, episode 19
Ritter: I like the thematic concepts of the whole album a lot, I agree it feels a lot more complete on Jubilee. I am unfamiliar with The Twilight Zone fyi.
“Two Coats”
Ritter: I like the Jubilee version the best but I like the instrumental version of “Two Coats” [on Hallelujah] a whole damn lot.
Slone: The instrumental sections on Hallelujah in general are strong. They feel like something I’d hear back home.
“Purgatory”
Slone: This is another of my favorites. Feels very authentic, church band vibes. This is the type of music I grew up around.
“Way of the Triune God”
Ritter: I particularly love the intro of “Way of the Triune God”, it’s EKY to a T.
Slone: It sounds, and this will sound very condescending, but it sounds like the type of thing that I’d vibe with at Hillbilly Days but would have never sought out until I was an adult.
Ritter: That’s true though. I always turned my nose up to country and bluegrass until my prefrontal cortex had a couple years left on its timer.
“Angel Band”
Slone: “Angel Band” is the best song Tyler Childers has ever written. There, I said it.
Ritter: That is a hot take but I can’t truly disagree with you I think. Also, I can’t tell much difference between this version and the Jubilee version besides some minor guitar changes.
Slone: There’s some horns on Jubilee. The picture he is painting with these lyrics is something that is just so relatable to me. And it’s so vivid that I can fucking smell this old man in this pew with a Werther’s rattling on his dentures.
Ritter: My grandpa was that old man lol it’s amazing. I think I noticed more organ/keys on Hallelujah this time
“Jubilee”
Slone: I absolutely adore “Jubilee” (the song)
Ritter: It’s gorgeous but I feel like the drums don’t fit
Slone: It puts me in mind of something very specific that I will discuss at greater length later, when we get to the Jubilee version that I am genuinely obsessed with
Ritter: I shall not let you forget to tell me.
“Heart You’ve Been Tendin’”
Ritter: Meanwhile, Heart You’ve Been Tendin is my fave off the album. All three versions are amazing. And I said that about the whatever the hell Joyful Noise is
Slone: Omg I think it might be my least favorite haha. It reminds me of “I Want You (She’s So Heavy).”
Ritter: In a bad way…? That’s my fave Beatles song omg. This is where our inspection derails….
Slone: Lollllll, yeah I don’t like that song either hahaha
Ritter:
I used the first meme wrong I know
Slone: I have never vibed with blues
Ritter: I grew up on a lot of blues so I get it haha. It’s not for everyone.
Jubilee Version
“Old Country Church”
Slone: Speaking of Beatles songs, the first guitar line at the beginning of this song reminds me of “Let It Be”
Ritter: I was thinking the same thing wow. I think there’s some clear influences on Tyler for this album. I would hazard a guess that he’s gotten into jam bands
Slone: So, simultaneously with this conversation I’m texting another friend of mine who also grew up in EKY, and a lot of his takes are opposite of mine so I’m gonna present them here. The tl;dr of his opinions is that Hallelujah feels more authentic than Jubilee. I think that is a valid perspective, so:
“See, I’m looking at it the other way, at least in terms of Hallelujah v. Jubilee. I think that the production touches you mentioned in Jubilee are good, but I think they contrast too much with the raw spiritual/gospel theme that this album is going for.
Take “Way of the Triune God,” for example. My favorite song on the record. The hallelujah version sounds like something I’d hear down near home and I really like how authentic it sounds. The Jubilee version sounds like a big band trying to emulate a more authentic sound but losing it in overproduction.”
Slone: Now, my own take is that what he is doing here on Jubilee is expanding the range of what roots/gospel music can be, with some instrumentation that I don’t think I ever would have thought to find on this type of music
Ritter: Hmm I think those are both super valid points. That’s a lot for me to think about especially with Joyful Noise as a second sequel. Like is Joyful Noise pushing the production past overproduction?
Slone: My answer to that is “yes”
Ritter: Which makes me wonder is the overproduction Tyler’s intention and that’s where your perspective comes in. Idk manMy school brain over analyzes everything now
“Two Coats”
Slone: When I heard this sitar I screamed. I was ready to give my life to this man for putting a sitar on a gospel album, no questions asked
Ritter: Possibly the greatest musical choice on the whole album
Slone: I don’t wanna keep referencing Beatles songs, but “Two Coats” gives me that “Tomorrow Never Knows” feeling. The droning distorted vocals and whatnot
“Way of the Triune God”
Ritter: That’s accurate, I think it’s clear he was on a Beatles kick. This one sounds like a Beatles song I can’t put my hands on It might be “Come Together” when the music pauses and Tyler says some words
Slone: I could hear that. That horn line sounds like something but I can’t place it either
“Angel Band”
Ritter: Oh yes finally the best version of Angel Band. Also huge plug for fans of good Kentuckians and fans of Tyler Childers — Charles Booker is debating an absent Rand Paul for the fate of the state tomorrow night on KET.
Slone: More sitar!!!! MORE. The horns, the vocal layering, the strings, the sitar all at the end of the song make it absolutely transcendent. It’s like literally being lifted into heaven.
Ritter: And the resolution into “Jubilee” is fantastic
“Jubilee”
Slone: So I already said “Angel Band” is the best song, but Jubilee really might be my favorite. It’s such a specific vibe. The best I could come up with was “ If All Tomorrow’s Parties got covered for the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack.” The choice to take songs that are instrumental on Hallelujah and put in these droning vocal performances that are buried in the mix is just fascinating
Ritter: It’s haunting too and I at times just listen to the voice and not the words if that makes sense.
Slone: Yes that makes sense. The way the song is produced, the voice is not the focus and is basically just another instrument. Plus I think it’s intentionally hard to actually decipher what is being said. There’s an element of mystery to it. It’s like listening to opera in a foreign language, yeah? Like you don’t know what’s being said but it moves you anyway
Ritter: That’s why I like Latinx pop music so much I don’t need to know more than my basic Spanish education to really enjoy it.
“Heart You’ve Been Tendin’”
Ritter: This damn song gives me such chills and the strings with the Jubilee version make it amazing.
Slone: This version is far superior.
Ritter: I got scared by the screaming and the dogs at the end lol
Slone: It’s like "Caroline, No!" I’ll reference every song of the 60s today
Joyful Noise Version
(Brandon’s note: The conversation at this point is a bit more free flowing; I’m not gonna bother separating into song headers because I’m not entirely sure what we were talking about at various points. I was trying to play Hollow Knight.)
Ritter: Now comes the worst iteration of the album… I think Joyful Noise sounds like if Gene Belcher from Bob's Burgers was in charge of the remixing and played his fart and dog bark noises over top of the tracks”. And at times like Tyler heard the soundtrack to a bunch of Nintendo 64 games (I’m thinking specifically Paper Mario) and said “lemme make that my next album”
Slone: I was going to save this for “final thoughts” but my overall opinion is that the “triple album” concept is a swing and a miss
I think Hallelujah and Jubilee are almost too similar in a lot of ways, while Joyful Noise is so different that it shouldn’t be part of the same project. I think the samples of the people talking are interesting, from a cultural standpoint because he’s exploring some nuanced aspects of some folks who get caricatured a lot.
Ritter: I would agree with that perspective, I think his intention was “here’s something for everyone” but I think anyone can find something to enjoy in Jubilee alone.
And I agree, but I wonder if he’d done it over stripped back instrumentals if it wouldn’t have been more powerful…. Also, here are the Gene dog barks (talking about "Two Coats")
Slone: Yeah, I didn’t know what the 3 versions were supposed to be when I was going in. A barebones approach, just a guitar, banjo, maybe a mandolin, was what I was expecting for the third part and I got… this
Ritter: I totally thought I read that one version was just him and a fiddle and I was severely disappointed
Slone: “Purgatory” here is like… Wii shop music or something
Ritter: Oh my god yes. I honestly don’t know if after this I will ever listen to the Joyful Noise version again
Slone: I am very rigid in my standards. He says this whole thing is one album so I have to grade it as one album. Which means I can’t just say “excluding the last 33% of the album, it’s great”. I think we’ll learn more about that thought process in time. Love some Andy Griffith tho
Ritter: That’s fair lol I think it deserves the rating that Joyful Noise will provide it. The end of “Purgatory” on this version is haunting. And yes we all need more Andy Griffith
Slone: I hate to let the review fade out but there’s just not much to say about this stretch lol
Ritter: I feel similarly. “Jubilee” is still decent despite this mess of a remix
Slone: Folks. If you want to hear the entire concept of Joyful Noise executed in a much more interesting manner, check out the Washed Out remix of My Morning Jacket’s “Outta My System” and call it a day
Ritter: I have not heard this myself and shall promptly listen. I’d like to walk back my earlier statement that all three versions of this song ("Heart You've Been Tending") slap, when this one indeed does not.
Slone: And I would like to say that I do not dislike the Joyful Noise stuff in a vacuum, but that I think it detracts significantly from the cohesion of the album.
Ritter: Alright fun fact — that album is longer than DONDA
Slone: This man made the same album 3 times and it’s still less repetitive than DONDA
Ritter: Oh shit lol your hate for that album is unending. I love it.
Slone: 🤗
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So, there you have it friends. Did we get it right? Is Joyful Noise actually our generation’s In Utero? Does Dane need to make a “farts and dog noises” remix of In Utero? Tell us in the comments!
- Slone & Ritter
Please do not remix In Utero with farts and dog noises.
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