Massy Ferguson

You Can’t Tell Me I’m Not What I Used To Be

North & Left

Seattle-based Massy Ferguson was a great choice for a heavy dose of rock and roll through their recent output. Their seventh album, “You Can’t Tell Me I’m Not What I Used to Be” (yes, it does fit on the CD spine) takes a much different direction.  There is no song with that title, perhaps indicating that it’s saying we’ve taken some chances but are still the same band. Maybe it’s a growing trend in early 2025 or simply a function of the albums reviewed by yours truly but stripped down or highly textured sounds grace the recent album from Lucero and Patterson Hood of the loud, and rocking Drive-By-Truckers is set to deliver a riveting, textured cinematic record in a couple of weeks. Maybe it’s a byproduct of seeking calm and refuge amid the chaos, or maybe it’s simply coincidental.

In fact, once you learn that this Massy Ferguson effort was produced by the idiosyncratic folksinger Damien Jurado, it naturally follows that we’ll have more emphasis on lush instrumentation, layers and textures, and a framing of songs heretofore unheard from the band.  The core foursome remains intact. They are frontman Ethan Anderson (vocals, bass), Adam Monda (guitars, vocals), Fred Slater (piano, keyboards). and Dave Goedde (drums, percussion). Clues to the textured sounds are found in the additional musicians – Micah Hulscher (piano and keyboards), Craig Curran (bass and electric guitar), Damien Jurado (additonal percussion), Zan Fiskum (vocal on “So Long, Carry On’), Alex Johnston (tubular bells and vibes), and Bradley Hawkins (cello).

The aptly titled opener “Early in the Morning,” steeped in vocal harmonies sounds like the entire ensemble is breaking through the shrouds of mist with vocals surrounded by atmospheric backdrops, truly an indie as opposed to a the twangy country rock that is the band’s trademark. By contrast, the hand clapped “Headlights & Highbeams” brings contagious energy, tempting one to crank up the volume and sing along, ideally when driving. “When You’re Not Around” taps into that familiar heartland rock and twang. “Seaside Town” is a bluegrass, hoedown rife with barroom piano, and vigorous acoustic picking, a rather rollicking tale while the pivotal track, the inspiration for the record is “So Long, Carry On,” an harmonious, piano-driven ditty with guest Zan Fiskum on the lilting harmony vocal that belies the downcast lyrics –  “I’ve got a reason for ruin, got a white man’s overbite./I’ve got everything I don’t want and I’ve got it over twice./ Got a cartoon haberdasher, got a slump and a weak chin./Got a giant leather satchel and a wallet that’s too thin.”  Yet the gently strummed “I’m Almost There” is fairly straightforward country rock, with a chorus that expresses the excitement of nearing the destination, exiting in gleeful, finger snapping rhythm, powered by a drum machine.

Risk taking comes to the fore toward the last third of the album with the psychedelic, swirling “You Were So High” a tribute to a stoned older sister, replete with harpsichord, and an atmospheric mix of keyboards and effects. Other than Anderson’s vocal, one might be hard pressed to identify this as a Massy Ferguson song. “Shrunken Head” is a mashup of their country rock with a heavy organ prog rock sound.   Perhaps the quietest entry, and example of a departure is the sparse piano ballad “Lovely Lad” with cello accompaniment. The closing “Angels in Heaven” is backward symmetry. While “Early in the Morning’ may represent stepping into the light after a stiff hangover, this is the drunken beginning to that lingering headache.  To be fair though, you can find the vintage Massy Ferguson sound in the second half too in the form of the power chord driven “Lights Get Low.”

We can rarely fault a band for risk taking. Massy Ferguson manages to do that and retain their trademark sound on about half of the tracks. So, they don’t fully dive into the deep end, leaving us somewhat confused as to what their next step may be. The only real continuous threads are Anderson’s hearty lead vocals and the group harmonies. Otherwise, we have an uneven record with some terrific songs as the band’s experiments meet with mixed results.

– Jim Hynes

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