Carl Sandburg’s Chicago Poems
Big Sleep, 2016
8/10
Listen to Carl Sandburg’s Chicago Poems
A true renaissance man, Brooklyn’s David Nagler is not only a musician and songwriter, but also a musical director and frontperson/founder of the pop outfit Nova Social. On this collaborative album of Carl Sandburg poems, Nagler is in exceptional company as Jon Langford, Jeff Tweedy, Kelly Hogan, Sally Timms and others help illuminate these 100+ year old poems.
“Chicago” starts the album with a duet between Nagler and Kelly Hogan, where soft horns and much atmosphere complement the spoken word and soft singing, and “Lost” follows with a brief display of warm keys and expressive vocals amid a dreamy setting.
There’s 16 tracks here, and each one is uniquely different, as “Killers” is an initially louder adventure of firm drums and keys that ends up finding a pretty place to reside amid twinkling guitar, while Jon Langford’s “Under A Hat Rim” unfolds with strategic accordion as Langford’s inimitable pipes are both raw and melodic. Robbie Fulks contributes one of the album’s best tunes, as “Under The Harvest Moon” benefits from vibraphone and Fulks’ playful guitar and timeless singing.
Deeper yet, “Theme In Yellow” enlists Jeff Tweedy on the twangy, stirring Americana, and “Under A Telephone Poll” exits the listen with harmony vocals alongside an orchestral backdrop and poetic execution.
This was quite a project and Nagler and company certainly pay homage to Sandburg with much creativity that’s executed in fashion that’s just as timeless as the poet’s work, too.
Travels well with: San Fermin- The Cormorant I; The Flat Five- Another World