“Is that Jacques Coursil?” Stephen asked as we drove to the local Bar & Grill.
“Sounds like him but a guitar just came in. That sounds like Mary Halvorson.”
We were listening to WPRB on my car radio, FM baby, so Stephen Shazam’d that shit and lo and behold, we were listening to Nate Wooley. Up until that moment I hadn’t heard or heard of Nate Wooley (as far as I can remember), but in the short drive from the Barn to the Bar & Grill, all that changed.
Nate Wooley’s Ancient Songs of Burlap Heroes was released on Pyroclastic Records last month and is, in some ways, a quiet meditative record. The first track, “(…..)” is damn near silent broken only by faint sounds of processed field recordings reminiscent, at first, of driving then morphing into more space-like travel. The next track, “I Am The Sea That Sings of Dust” stretches out over 18 minutes and this pattern—short / long / short—repeats for the album’s duration, with each interlude track bearing a similar name that grows by a “.” or more as the album progresses (at least that’s how they appear on Bandcamp).
There’s a lot going on on Ancient Songs of Burlap Heroes, albeit in a kinda silent way. Whenever Mary Halvorson shows up, you know things will be interesting with her wiry mad loopy guitar lines drawing all manner of unexpected images around the tune while Susan Alcorn weaves her own form of delicate beauty from pedal steel guitar. Their interplay, especially on the stunning track “A Catastrophic Legend,” is one album highlight.
At times, Wooley’s amplified trumpet reminds me of Bill Dixon who coaxed a world of non-trumpet sounds from his, while at other times Wooley’s tone and tempo bring to mind Jacques Coursil [footnote 1] and Miles. Ryan Sawyer is a beast on drums, his playing reminiscent of Milford Graves for its energy and voice that acts as another player as opposed to time keeper. Trevor Dunn’s bass and Mat Maneri’s viola show up on one track a piece for added weight and color.
To my way of hearing, Ancient Songs of Burlap Heroes plays like a play or a film, a sound journey that offers its own unique language, bringing to mind buried thoughts and memories while pointing to new shores. There are moments of exquisite beauty, frenetic energy, and mystery making for another record that needs to be played and listened to all the way through. My favorite kind.
This album is dedicated to those who recognize living as a heroic act: the occupiers of sunup barstools; the cubicle-planted; the ghosts of Greyhounds; the reasonably sketchy. A burlap hero is one who marches—consciously or not—back to the sea in hopes of making no splash, who understands and embraces the imperfection of being, and in that way, stretches the definition of sainthood to fit.
Nate Wooley
February 2022
The lineup:
Mary Halvorson: Guitar
Susan Alcorn: Pedal Steel Guitar
Ryan Sawyer: Drums
Mat Maneri: Viola, Track 2
Trevor Dunn: Electric Bass, Track 4
Nate Wooley: Trumpet and Amplifier, Compositions
- Jacques Coursil’s Trails of Tears sits on 100 Favorite Album List for all of its quiet intense mournful beauty.