By Joshua Wallace
The Tillers have always been a roots string band with a varied sound that leans heavily on folk. However, their new self titled album bring a more aggressive style with nods to punk rock and bluegrass. The band continues to be amazing at telling a story through song and do so with nearly every track on this album. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the songs on this album.
My favorite track on this record and possibly my new favorite Tillers track is “Like A Hole In My Head”. It has the witty and smart songwriting you’ve come to expect from The Tillers with their new more aggressive style. It is a very catchy tune and you can see why they made it the third pre-release single for the album. Speaking of great songwriting, “The Old General Store Is Burning Down” slows the pace a bit and brings about some feelings of nostalgia for the old days when the small town general store used to be a popular thing. It’s a sweet sentimental tune that longs for those old days of friendship and community.
Another great story telling song that takes you back to old times is “Riverboat Dishwashing Song” about a boy who longs to do nothing but be a riverboat dishwasher. It’s full of imagery of riverboats and tells a great story of this young man’s journey. The Tillers do a great job adapting the Woody Guthrie classic “All You Fascists Are Bound To Lose” with new lyrics to reflect current times.
If you’re a fan of The Tillers you will love this album. They branch out into more aggressive roots sounds and show their bluegrass influences a bit more than they have in the past. This is a good thing and it creates a record with a good varied sound that touches all areas of Americana and roots music. The Tillers self titled album will be available on March 23rd and will be out in physical and digital varieties everywhere music is sold.
Favorite Tracks : Like A Hole In My Head, The Old General Store Is Burning Down, Riverboat Dishwashing Song, All You Fascists Are Bound To Lose
The Tillers – The Tillers (2018)
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The Weald & The Wild
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Migrant’s Lament
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Like A Hole In My Head
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The Old General Store Is Burning Down
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Dear Mother
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All You Fascists Are Bound To Lose
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Riverboat Dishwashing Song
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Revolution Row
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Mona
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Another Postcard