It is nearly four years ago since Bob Collum brushed away
any New Year blues with the release of a record that eventually travelled a
long way down the 2015 musical highway. Now
as the nights draw in and 2018 hurtles towards its conclusion, the follow up to the
excellent LITTLE ROCK is unveiled for all to hear, complete with a spring in
its step to placate any detrimental season change. PAY PACK AND CARRY still
carries the moniker of the Welfare Mothers as the backing band and resumes Bob
Collum’s stature as the architect of some exceedingly infectious music.
Terms such as pub rock, power pop, alt country and exiled
Americana can be tossed around and still carry a resemblance of accuracy
whichever angle you choose to approach this album from. Ultimately, Bob Collum,
and whoever nestles comfortably within the Welfare Mother family, makes music
that sinks deep into your psyche and retains an instinct to refuse to budge
from your immediate horizon. In other words, the challenge is to let a satisfactory smile leave your face when this album gets its umpteenth play. A tough one given the ingrained appeal.
Plenty of fiddle and steel ensures that an element of countrification
remains in focus, albeit definitely from an alternative perspective. Many of
the tracks do not refrain from a good rinsing of pop sentiment, albeit from a
bygone age where trends were not subject to the chase and quite simply - good
songs became popular.
Just pitching gems like sumptuous album opener ‘Across a Crowded Room’, serious standout
candidate ‘Catherine Row’ and
infectious title track ‘Pay Pack and
Carry’ against classic covers of Michael Nesmith’s ‘Different Drum’ and the Incredible String Band’s ‘Log Cabin Home in the Sky’ ratchet up
the song writing acumen of Collum. Whatever your view on covers, you cannot
deny the value they add here and a humble touch from the press blurb suggests
they keep an artist in check from running rampant with self-absorption.
Also by reigning in the content, the album exudes a compact
feel with each of the ten tracks playing an important part in maintaining
momentum. You gain the impression that the music flows devoid of complication
and this aids the ease of listening. Indeed the whole clarity façade embeds
into the listening experience that mixes the explicitly detected American twang
of Tulsa born Collum with a good ole British pub rock sound.
Back in 2015, it was the classic duet ‘Good Thing We’re in Love’ that hooked me into the work of Bob
Collum. This time the highs were more evenly spread, to the extent that it did
take a few spins to get the fires stoked. Once up and running, the bandwagon of
PAY PACK AND CARRY rose through the gear changes ensuring tracks such as ‘Mr McGhee’, ‘Tin Can Telephone’ and ‘Blue
Sky Rain’ assumed a similar mantle to those tracks eulogised about earlier.
At this stage, it would be remiss to omit ‘Scarecrow’ and ‘Hey Blue’ as they are integral parts in keeping the toe-tapping
feel to this record rolling along. Indeed, there need not be an anointed
highlight as the true reward has been to keep this record on heavy rotation
without any remnants of weariness surfacing.
Between albums, it is a relatively low-key existence for Bob
Collum and the Welfare Mothers in my world, briefly punctuated by a Maverick
Festival appearance in 2015. However, this compensates greatly when the album
release cycle delivers. Who knows what 2019 will bring, but one certainty is
that PAY PACK AND CARRY will not be filed away too deeply and is a good 'go to' when you want a slice of uncomplicated sophistication in your listening
repertoire.
www.bobcollum.com
