Gorgeous orchestral arrangements. Achingly beautiful vocals set against the sparkle of mandolin and glockenspiel. Nuanced lyrics that invoke the stark panoramas of an Ohio landscape. Could this actually be country & western music? Yes, but with a twist. Sometimes known as “alt-country” or “countrypolitan,” this relatively new form of country music has transformed an often-maligned genre. And some of the best material is coming from artists that have their roots in—or draw inspiration from—the Midwest.
One of my favorites is Over the Rhine. Named after a historic district in Cincinnati (where they’re based), this duo is steeped in the Midwest: an entire double album (including the title song) pays homage to their home state of Ohio. The twang of pedal steel guitar has never sounded better, especially when paired with the sultry vocals of Karin Bergquist and the sophisticated piano syncopations of Linford Detweiler. These are songs that “shimmer in some amber band of light that stands outside of time…hung like blue smoke in rafters,” to quote the eloquent liner notes from their most recent effort, The Long Surrender. Standouts from their latest album: the toe-tapping swagger of “Laugh of Recognition,” and the revelatory, haunting “Days Like This.”
“I am holding half an acre/ Torn from the map of Michigan/ And folded in this scrap of paper.” Those lyrics are from “Half Acre” by the group Hem, off their debut Rabbit Songs. You can listen to Hem performing this song live in our new KEXP in-studio streaming music collection. Several other references to Midwestern locations appear on their followup effort, Eveningland. Recorded with the Slovak National Radio Orchestra (!), this is an extraordinary album filled with one gem after another. Elegant, innovative arrangements weave oboe and clarinet through a lush tapestry of strings, piano and upright bass. Soaring above it all is the stunning voice of Sally Ellyson, whose singing “evokes prairie sunsets” (as one inspired reviewer puts it). Check out a pared-down version of “Fire Thief” from this album on KEXP. At once refreshing and retro, the music of Hem harkens back to old-time bluegrass and honky-tonk while taking it somewhere utterly new.
Country music’s gospel-tinged, blues-inflected, and folk-suffused roots are close to the surface in the music of Frazey Ford, lead singer of the Be Good Tanyas. With songs described as “sweet and smoky like blackstrap molasses,” Frazey also summons images from the Midwest in some of her lyrics: “Ohio upon the mountain we were growin’ up/ So strong.” Listen to Frazey’s KEXP performance of “Gospel Song” from Obadiah, and I defy you not to be moved by her plaintive, pure, fragile voice. And for one of the most powerful, bittersweet alt-country songs ever—and a great West Coast Swing tune to boot, for you hoofers—check out “Scattered Leaves” from Hello Love.
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