http://bluejayway2008.blogspot.com/2008/12/western-fifth-stand-like-thief-2008.html

El revivalismo de los sonidos con raíces americanas que se ha dado durante esta última temporada tiene hoy como exponente al álbum de debut de esta banda norteamericana de Minneapolis. Western Fifth son una banda de Country-Alternativo, de canciones de medios tiempos, de pausada reflexión sobre la soledad, la nostalgia o el amor equivocado. Su instrumentación entra en los cánones de ese estilo al que mencionábamos: Guitarras eléctricas acompañadas de Steels guitars, banjos, fiddles, pianos Rhodes, guitarras y bajos acústicos... Todos los elementos que podríamos esperar de un disco de Country adaptado a estos tiempos, que consigue por momentos crear ambientes y atmósferas letárgicas con los elementos e instrumentaciones más sencillas. Algo así como unos Wilco en sus momentos más pausados mezclados con elementos de Grandaddy. Canciones destacadas pueden ser We..ve got the rain, Hello goodnight, Revolving door blues, In the end I went away o I will keep you warm.

www.rootshighway.it

Western Fifth
Stand Like a Thief

[Blood Ponies Music  2008]



Un pellegrino solitario nella prateria, la luce dal cielo che rischiara l'American Gothic tutto intorno: l'immagine di copertina rievoca un filone preciso del nuovo sentire folk rock di questi anni, mentre il retro nasconde una vecchia dimora in legno, che potrebbe appartenere al paesaggio desolato di una generica America rurale, abbandonata per sempre. Non fanno nulla per nascondere la propria identità i Western Fifth: nelle ossa portano il freddo del Minnesota da cui provengono, mentre musica e testi si accompagnano ad un incedere idolente, monocromatico, accentuato dalla voce di Ryan Holweger, un mormorio malinconico che ha la sua ragion d'essere in liriche quali "The other day I stood up and screamed/ from the botto of my heart/ my guts, my throat and my chest/ were all torn apart".

Hanno debuttato nella formula spartana del trio (con il basso di Josh Christenson e la batteria di Jon Wurm), incidendo un Ep nell'inverno del 2006, per lo più un tenativo inciso di gran fretta in una sola giornata e mezzo. Prese le misure però si sono subito allargati, facendo parlare di sé sulla scena assai affollata di Minneapolis: in una delle case natali dell'alternative country, il loro effluvio di ballate dai toni dark e dagli accenti solitari ha aperto una breccia, anche se il vero punto di svolta è da rintracciare nell'ampliamento della line-up, con un dispendio di ospiti e collaborazioni niente affatto estemporanee, fra il violino di Dave Boquist (ex Son Volt) , il mandolino e la lap steel di Thomas Case, la tromba di John Dehaven, le chitarre e il piano di Ryan Jacobson. L'elenco è seducente e pare suggerire un folk rock dai colori accesi, mentre i Western Fifth sembrano piuttosto figli di un'oscurità e di una svogliatezza "indie" che non prevede accelerazioni, scatti d'ira ed elettricità a profusione: in apertura We've Got the Rain e Hello, Goodnight indicano la rotta, offrendo le coordinate di un suono che non cambierà di una virgola nel corso dell'intero Stand Like a Thief.

Sono ballate evocative, che si rotolano di tanto in tanto nella dolce mestizia rock di una In the End I Went Away, abbozzando uno scintillio pop in A Matter of Principle e Madeline, episodi che non possono non richiamare gli Okkervil River più incupiti del capolavoro Down by the River of Golden Dreams, ma nel complesso il grande limite della band è proprio quell'ostinato senso di lontananza e oscurità. L'andazzo infatti comincia a stringere un cappio al collo da metà disco in poi, mettendo più di un piede in fallo fra la cantilena folk di Revolving Door Blues, il violino mortifero di una 100 Broken Angel che sarebbe piaciuta a Walkabouts e Willard Grant Conspiracy, risollevandosi giusto di un guizzo nella melodia pianistica di I Will Keep You Warm. Si giunge allora al capolinea con la sensazione di avere scovato una buona promessa, ma ancora tutta in divenire: la strada imboccata dai Western Fifth potrebbe infatti rivelarsi un vicolo cieco da cui uscire a fatica.
(Fabio Cerbone)

How Was The Show

Western Fifth CD Release Party with Kid Dakota at Uptown Bar and Café on 11/21/08

By: David de Young

Western Fifth's 'Thief' has stolen
plenty of alt-country hearts

www.cakein15.com

11/23/08

Listening to Western Fifth's recent release Stand Like a Thief is a little like dancing that achingly fleeting slow dance with the girl (or guy, depending) that you almost but never quite asked out in high school. This is not to say by any means that the music itself evokes high school – it feels more like the late nights spent on porches across America at the end of a party where those remaining are a little too drunk to get home and so sit, smoke cigarettes and wait for sobriety or dawn, whichever comes first. Add those two (somewhat disparate) elements together and you'll get a basic approximation of this encompassing and enjoyable debut offering.

When put onto I-Tunes, the Genre listed is "Country," which lead me to wonder who makes the determination of the genre. Does the band get to decide what their genre is? If asked to pick a genre for Western Fifth, I'd probably offer up some strange hybrid like post-country shoe-gaze indie rock, which doesn't fit in the genre box on I-Tunes, so it's probably best that no one asked me. The band has an interesting and rewarding way of reminding the listener of a different band with every listening. Upon repeat visits, I have uncovered sounds and songs influenced or reminiscent of Wilco, The Walkmen (see below for why this isn't an influence), Okkervil River, and surprisingly upon my most recent listen – a dose of early Jakob Dylan and the Wallflowers. Listen to the burst of organ on the their third track "In the End I Went Away" and see if you can disagree.

Cake in 15 was lucky enough to secure an exclusive email interview with Western Fifth's singer/guitar player Ryan Holweger! While the fact that the questions are mostly longer than the answers might call into question my journalistic abilities, I will respond by saying that a) I'm a writer, not a journalist, and b) think of it as an interactive interview/review and you'll be just fine. Enjoy!

Cake in 15: The first time I listened to the new album all the way through, I was driving between Chicago & Minneapolis, having dropped my fiancée off at the airport to fly off to New York, leaving me on my own for three long weeks. My Ipod got in a fight with the car stereo system and froze. I had brought the "Stand Like A Thief" album along to see how it felt on the road, and due to the sudden loss of Ipod (at 10 am, I might add - Two hours into a six hour drive) I put it in and sped through the Madison area. Would you consider this the best way to listen to the album? If you could chose, when & where would you recommend a listening party for maximum aesthetic & emotional impact?

Ryan Holweger: Although I think listening while driving is a good way to hear this record, it might be better suited for a dimly lit room, a couch, some liquor, and a good set of headphones. I think a good place for a listening party would be a small, cozy dive-bar, or maybe in the living room of an old house.

C15: Do you hate being compared to other bands? For instance, if I said that upon first listen I was instantly reminded of Okkervil River's *Down the River of Golden Dreams*, would you be annoyed or pleased? Would you rather be compared to The Walkmen?

RH: I'd be very pleased with a comparison to Okkervil River (one of my favorite bands). I've never heard the Walkmen, so I guess I'm not sure about that. I don't think I'd ever be annoyed with comparisons to other bands, as long as it holds some merit. I feel that it's a very effective way to give a reader a good idea on how a band might sound.

C15: Name one band you'd love to be mentioned in the same breath with, as well as one that you'd rather never be compared to again.

RH: I'm not sure if there is one single band I want to be compared to the most, but we are pleased with the different comparisons we've had so far (Wilco, Band of Horses, The Replacements, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Okkervil River, etc). As far as a band we'd never want to be compared to again, I'm not sure I can answer that. I suppose we'd have to be compared to a band that we don't like before we can hope it never happens again. That being said, I hope no one ever compares us to The Eagles.

C15: The air of melancholia pervades the album - Seeps through the cracks, and many of the lyrics deal with death, love, defiance, or a combination of all three. As artists, do you find that writing in a certain mood helps to articulate your work?

RH: I find that for the most part, the mood definitely has an effect on the writing, in that I typically don't write unless I'm in a certain mood. If I'm not in that certain mood, then the songwriting doesn't happen. I rarely just decide to sit down and try write a song – it usually only happens after an idea comes first. That's not always the case, but generally that's the way it is.

C15: Do you seek to immerse your listener in the world that you've built, or is it enough to simply offer up a song for the listener to react to however he or she chooses?

RH: I don't think I've ever really thought about like that. For the most part, we just hope the listener will take the time to enjoy the music, and hopefully get something out of it if they choose to – if they become immersed in the song, or the album as a whole, that is even better.

C15: What's next? Where can the Cake in 15 readers find Western Fifth in the near future?

RH: Well, we'll be playing out around the Twin Cities as usual, hopefully getting some people interested in the new album. We're also promoting it a bit in Europe and getting some airplay, so we hope to build on that as well, maybe sell some records over there. We'll probably do another tour sometime next year. This past summer we hit a bunch of Midwestern & southern states (Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Kansas, Missouri) so hopefully we can go back to those places, and maybe to the East Coast, too.

C15: Thank you! Readers can access the band's Myspace page here and the album is out and available and highly recommended.

Check it out here:

Refuled - The Bible of Alt Country Style + Design

We're on page 97.

http://www.30music.com/rev.php?rev=2674&mode=

Western Fifth have released a dark, powerful debut full-length by the name of Stand Like a Thief, complete with 12 tracks to sink into and enjoy. A relaxed, steady progression reminiscent of contemplative minds is present through the album, which can most simply be described as country. There are no fast tempos present, but this isn't to say it lacks dynamics. Ranging from delicate, quiet acoustic to a full-band blast, it leaves nothing to be desired.

Among the album's finest qualities is its tendency to take its time and develop the music, until every last ounce of meaning can be squeezed out of it and absorbed by the listener. The tracks don't end until they've completed this, which (pleasantly) leads to songs slightly above average length that are a touch more enjoyable to hear than they would otherwise be.

In terms of music, the album is cleverly put together. Acoustic guitars provide the meat of the sound while bass and drums lend rhythmic support and an electric guitar wails out melodies above it all. The piano and fiddle also make appearances to embellish the songs acoustically. However, one shortcoming comes in Western Fifth's vocals; they seem frail and under-supported at times, and as such don't blend as well as they could with the accompanying instrumentation. Unfortunately, at times they also fall short on doing justice to the content of the song.

Which leads to the best part of Stand Like a Thief: lyrics that are beautiful, sadly poetic, and assume an almost existential air. Heartbreak, loneliness, and death are frequent themes, the last of which strikes in a particularly disconcerting and enthralling track toward the very end of the album. Entitled "I Will Keep You Warm," the song details the narrator's murder of his girlfriend on account of feelings of love that were too fervent for him to suppress. Dark and perverse, the lyrics represent how the strong, direct method of songwriting can still be artistic and emotionally powerful.

And if there were to be any doubt that the album's messages dealt with the ending of life, the repetition of the lyrics "then we die" many times at the ends of both the first and the last tracks should serve to reassure, and also create an excellent sense of closure, tying the compilation of songs neatly together. Overall, the album is an impressive work, presenting forceful, personal emotions through a sound best described as well-developed country.