Artist: Chris And Carla
Label: Glitterhouse Records
Release: 2007
Chris Eckman and Carla Torgerson are (were) the creative core of The Walkabouts, born in Seattle in the mid-eighties, but sound-wise they never really belonged in the same “basket” as the other, better-known bands from that city. No, The Walkabouts stayed on the fringes of the media, and their music came from those very fringes too. It’s as if punk and the other rock subgenres that fed the wellspring of influences for the likes of Green River, Mother Love Bone, Tad and later Mudhoney, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and of course Nirvana never even touched them. Their world was always pretty far removed from Seattle’s rainy climate; they sailed the open plains of wide America, especially at night. And the jukeboxes they met along those dusty roads didn’t play Black Flag, Minutemen or Husker Du, but the dreamy sounds of Neil Young and the fury of Johnny Cash, while the wind itself carried the melodies of “old” America, picked up along the way from the peaks of the Appalachians, the Mexican coast, or Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans.
That’s how The Walkabouts built a recognizable, elusive image that grew and evolved over the years, and along the way won itself a loyal little band of followers, who mourned every one of their breakups, each of which always seemed like the final one. That things were never too bleak was, of course, down to Chris and Carla once again, whether as a duo or each on their own, who have been looking after their fans since 1993 with a fairly regular stream of albums, which for the most part can only be had by ordering directly through their website (thewalkabouts.com).
When it comes to the music, The Walkabouts set up a kind of frame inside which all the other incarnations nest, Chris’s and Carla’s above all, so in principle the music coming from Chris’s hands in all his guises appeals to roughly the same circle of listeners. That doesn’t mean he’s been doing one and the same thing all along, only that you can definitely trace a red thread running through his (or their) entire musical body of work. There’s something in this music that will always satisfy, especially the more seasoned listeners, and it will probably never reach the ears of the masses looking for spectacle.
Fly High, Brave Dreamers, then, continues down the well-trodden musical path, but unlike Chris’s solo work, this time it brings the spirit of The Walkabouts in much fuller measure. The reason, of course, lies in Carla’s voice, which in combination with Chris’s always stirs up a nearly forgotten feeling that’s never otherwise this intense. The album is split very “brotherly” into two equal halves, with no standouts and no single leading figure. Carla takes care of the more melancholic, sentimental and mellow side, while Chris handles the slightly livelier one, with the emphasis on slightly, since there’s definitely no reveille here.
Alongside the two of them come the obligatory guest musicians from their circle of friends, so the intimate vibe is thoroughly taken care of. Besides the expected guitar-and-piano or organ sound, the muted trumpet on “Rising Backwards” is an extremely pleasant surprise, and throughout the album all sorts of electronic touches liven things up a bit too.
As the album’s title already tells you, it’s meant first and foremost for dreamers, and those who truly dare to be one, those who give themselves over to the moment and don’t cling to any salvation battle. All we have is here and now. Even if we can only dream about it. Fly High, Brave Dreamers makes sure we never wake up from those dreams, and it does so successfully and persistently. As if the whole thing were one long, slow river (Long Slow River) that knows love likes to lie in a little, especially in the morning (Love Sleeps Late) and doesn’t fret about what’s still to come (Whatever It Takes), because it also knows that God is (lately) very confused. So, fly high, brave dreamers.
Lineup
Chris Eckman – Vocals, acoustic guitar
Carla Torgerson – Vocals
Al Deloner – Piano and harmonicas
Jason Victor – Electric guitar
Sergej Randželovič – Drums
Jani Hace – Bass guitar
Production
Chris Eckman
Track List
01. At The Twilight’s Last Gleaming
02. Things We Should Have Known
03. Ice Station Zebra
04. Taking Leave Of Our Senses
05. Long Slow River
06. Love Sleeps Late
07. Rising Backwards
08. Raise Them Hands
09. Whatever It Takes
10. Fly High Brave Dreamers
11. Salad Days
Album length: 50:12
