76. Jay Munly - Jimmy Carter Syndrome (2002)
Genre: Gothic Country, Neofolk, Gospel
Tracklisting
My Darling Sambo
Circle Round My Bedside
Cooney vs. Munly
Haggie Hennies Almost Dirty Dress
Censer From the Footlights
Spill the Wine
The Denver Boot
Weegee, The Uninvited Blues #2
Dar He Done
Cattle, I Will Hang
Chant Down Cap'n
The Fabulous History of the Churchill Falls Barrel Races
Jimmy Carter Syndrome has been album I've been really looking forward to reviewing because there's a lot to say about it. For one it's incredibly layered, very dark, and disturbing to say the least. Munly is no stranger to writing controversial lyrics, however he shows no remorse, fear, or ill intent towards the people he sings about, he just kind of says them. This is best illustrated in the song "The Denver Boot" in which he talks about how his demon spawn child lay between his true love's bloody thighs and how he needed to feed it goats milk from his "Denver Boot". Wholesome topics all around on this album.
One of the great things about Munly is that he seriously looks like the personification of death, I mean just look:
Even next to Steve Buscemi he wouldn't win a beauty contest, but besides looking the part, he plays the part quite well. His vocal delivery is varied enough from a mournful wail to a very deep drawl. Lyrically he draws a lot of inspiration from various places he's lived, Canada gets mentioned a few times, as was California and the Southern United States. You get the sense he is a well traveled man, which would make sense because he traveled quite a bit with the band Slim Cessna's Auto Club. It can also be noticed that Munly has amassed quite a wide array of musically inclined friends by the sheer number of guest musicians on this album. I haven't found an exact listing, but with the sheer number of female backing vocalists and unique instruments featured in each song, the list is quite grand.
Giving this album a genre label has also proven to be quite hard. I mean obviously it's a country album to the core, features instruments popular in that genre and the dark lyrical focus common in Gothic Country, but even then... it doesn't seem quite right. Two songs in particular, "Chant Down Cap'n" and "HaggieHennies Almost Dirty Dress" feature a quite hypnotic banjo, drum, and electric guitar combination that really draws you in, similar to the way the downbeat tempo of trip-hop sucks you in. Still the album contains elements of folk and country so for now that would be the best way to describe it, but if you harbor any disdain for either of those two genres don't let it deter you from checking out
Jimmy Carter Syndrome because it really goes beyond the limitations of those two genres.
Going back to the lyrics, it can be hard to really tell what Munly is saying because of his drawl, but the lyrics are often non-secular. The two exceptions are "The Denver Boot" and "The Fabulous History of the Churchill Falls Barrel Races" which are very story driven songs, however each of the songs on the album seem to stem from a story, I just hope that none of them are based on personal experiences. The song "Censer From the Footlights" has an amusing section where Munly is singing as if he's reading a telegram, thus ending every line with "STOP". "The Fabulous History of the Churchill Falls Barrel Races" tells the story of a man who was shamed in his town abandons his family and attempts suicide by floating in a barrel of a waterfall, however he survives (much to his dismay) and attempts it again, only to inspire others to join him (minus the suicidal tendencies). Finding the lyrics have proven to be hard because nobody has felt particularly willing to transcribe them, and again his accent can make it hard to distinguish words.
"I found my true love sprawled without breath.
Between her bloody thighs was our newborn who caused her death.
I paced on over to meet my newborn
But my boots, they cannot grip upon this blood-soaked floor."
-The Denver Boot
Overall this is one of the more complex country albums I've heard in my life, and definitely gives you an appreciation for how well all the little instruments can make to the genre. I definitely wouldn't say Munly is the best introductory country musician, but if you have tried country and didn't like it, then this is definitely an album to check out. It's dark, eloquent, and completely unique. I had a tough time deciding between this album and Munly's 2004 album
Munly & The Lee Lewis Harlots, however this album is a little bit more accessible, at least in terms of sound and length.