Punch Brothers "All Ashore" Album Review

By: James Southworth
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

If there has been any band that I think deserves the high recognition they have received over the past couple years, Punch Brothers may well top my list. This group of talented musicians includes lead vocalist and acclaimed mandolin player Chris Thile, banjo player Noam Pikelny, acoustic guitarist Chris Elridge, bassist Paul Kowert, and fiddle player Gabe Witcher. I don't typically name all the band members when I do a review, but I just have to with the Punch Brothers. All of them are considered to be top notch within their instrumental fields, particularly Thile with his mandolin skills and Pikelny's impressive abilities on the banjo. It's complicated to pin down what genre this group is exactly. They are part of a new wave of bluegrass music, which has some tendencies of the old genre while also incorporating things like electronics and different vocal styles. This band also frequently incorporates their love of classical music, acoustic music, pop, electronic, and even Americana. I've loved all of this band's albums, particularly "Who's Feeling Young Now?" (still my favorite by them) and "The Phosphorescent Blues". The latter release really launched them into mainstream acclaim three years back. Now the band has returned with "All Ashore". Like their other releases, this one is a concept album. This album desires to discuss the dark world of hate and divide that America inhabits right now, and how complex it is to navigate this period. This album is incredible. Filled with absolutely expert instrumentation, some of the band's best lyric writing, and a powerful thematic arc, this is handily one of the best releases of the year.

Talking about this year's political and emotional landscape can be a very tough thing to do. After all, people in 2018 now hold more firmly to their opinions than ever. Trying to adapt a balanced approach is such a delicate thing to do when there are so many out there who are close minded. In fact, even before I delved into this album fully, I saw many people criticizing this release as having a completely anti-Trump/conservative agenda. Now, I won't deny there could be some points where a listener could interpret that as such (especially in the weakest song on the album-more on that one later). But, I think that's being far too dismissive of this album. There are so many subtleties to navigate in this album. Some people may miss the nuances, on both a musical and lyrical level. I was immediately impressed by this album with the subdued yet powerful 7-minute opener, which is the title track. Now, while this song is no "Familiarity" (then again, I'm not sure Punch Brothers would ever be able to create a track again that quite matches up to the sheer mastery that song has in nearly every way), it still holds up just fine on its own. I couldn't help but smile as I could already see evidence of this band's chemistry. The way that the mandolin and fiddle interplay on this track is particularly fascinating. I think what's most effective about this song in the lyrical department is that it creates an emotional landscape from the perspective of two different parents. Thile describes that the mother "Cuts like a man-of-war/Through the fog of an early morning/With nothing more than a coffee filling up her sails". What a beautiful but heartbreaking description of someone who is at the end of their rope in trying to live through such trying times. The father has a much more brutal yet equally disheartening description, as Chris says that he "Burns like a meteor/Through a night of his own diversions/Hoping to blaze half a second of a glowing trail". This song shows both of these characters', and to an extent, the band's desire for what they want: a place where there can be found a semblance of peace, love, and hope. This track touched me, and actually made me very emotional upon first listen. The musicianship of this track brings the emotion home, especially as the instruments highlight the feelings of both of the parent characters in a visceral fashion. This is definitely the best song on the album, as well as one of my favorite songs of the year.

It would be hard for the band to match up to this quality for the rest of the album, but somehow they do it. "The Angel of Doubt" marks Punch Brothers' most experimental song to date, having some of their most pop centric tendencies to date. That doesn't mean that this song is musically lacking though, as Elridge really gets to show off his guitar playing in a way he hasn't been able to do on the band's previous works. This song is about exactly what its title implies: doubts. Whether it be doubts of your morals, doubts of whether things will truly work out at the end of the day, or just doubts in yourself, this song has it all. Thile does an interesting thing on this album where he speaks in different characters, sometimes even speaking as the antagonist. That is the case for portions of this track, as Thile speaks as the Angel of Doubt itself. You can tell when he's speaking as this entity because he raps when he does. Yes, you read that right- he raps. You may be asking how a band who has primarily bluegrass and classical influences could possibly pull this off. I was a little taken aback by this song myself the first time I heard it. But even on my first listen, I found that Chris's rapping style actually works quite well in context of this track. It's surprisingly intense for a Punch Brothers song, which is fitting of the dark content this track has to offer. After this, we get the superb and fun instrumental "Three Dots and a Dash". The song's title references an alcoholic beverage created during World War II, which continues to show the band's affinity for alcohol. This song shows off the band's love for classical music as well, as there are so many moments on here that feel musically complex to me. This track goes through several musical movements, and all of them are equally interesting. They keep this track constantly unpredictable. This cut is so much fun, and warrants more than one listen. Instrumentals have a bit of a harder task in keeping listeners engaged, but Punch Brothers has always been good with their instrumentals. It's no surprise this one works so well.

"Just Look at This Mess" marks what is almost definitely the band's most angry song to date. Musically, it's quite intense, and the interplay between fiddle, guitar, and bass keeps on amping up as the track goes on. The lyrics in this song made my jaw drop a little, as they are effectively provocative in nature. Thile has a statement he wants to make on this song, and he clearly is passionate about it. This song could be interpreted as being anti-Trump, but I feel as though it's just more anti-government or anti-entitlement. Chris says that the mess America is in right now isn't due to just one person. In fact, we are complicit in the mess because of our refusal to actually address it: "This mess wasn’t made alone/Our sandlot antagonist-cum-king/Builds throne after gilded throne/On the rock of our disbelief in the thick of it". The multi-faceted meanings that could be drawn on the phrase "Sandlot antagonist-cum king" in particular impressed me. This descriptor is vulgar and disgusting. It's supposed to be, in order to show the brutality of the world we're living in. And yet, the Punch Brothers don't embrace hopelessness. Thile says: "Don’t let him get to you/Don’t let him put you off your game". After this song, we get the beautiful track "The Gardener". Thile's vocal performance in this track is soothing and rather gorgeous. This is one of the more brighter moments in an album that delves into very dark subject matter. This track expresses a working man's desire to just be able to follow after the American Dream- not only for him but also for his children. There is a real sincerity in this song as this character expresses appreciation for the nature that God has provided to him. He hopes to show that same sense of beauty to his children. It can be so hard to find beauty in simplicity, and yet this song shows how important it is to do so, especially in a world where simplicity is so easily lost on us.

This album's final moments are just as good as the beginning ones. "Jungle Bird" is the second, and more upbeat, instrumental on this release. It offers a good bit of fun, and is really just a song that you can clap or dance along to. I could see this one getting crowds very excited in a live setting. I thought this track's placement was fitting after several songs in a row that were lyrically complex and thought provoking. There needed to be a moment of release, and this band knew exactly where to put it. "It's All Part of the Deal" is this album's absolute low point. Thile goes into the mindset of this greedy, egotistical person, who eagerly wants everyone to be at his mercy: "And I've been doing just as I please/Since I found my skeleton key/God I love my skeleton key/You'll never guess who sold it to me". For the whole of this song, Thile's vocals effectively take on this character's personality, as he exudes arrogance, which is trying to disguise itself as confidence. The instrumentation in this track is indescribably impressive; you just have to hear it for yourself in order to get the full weight of it. This song ends on an intriguing note. This character seems to be trying to convince himself that this "deal" is worth all the evil things he's had to do: "The torment is fake/The glory is real". On its own, those lyrics seem to be assured. But, Chris's more delicate and falsetto vocal performance convinces me otherwise. I almost feel pity for this character, who doesn't even truly realize how their evil deeds are destroying them on the inside. After the darkness of this song, the album ends on a optimistic note with "Like It's Going Out of Style", the softest cut on the album. This track acknowledges that though we are in a dark place as a country and as individuals, there is still good and beauty out there. We can still love people, we can still be present for each other. We should love constantly... like it's going out of style. The sentiments of this song are beautiful. The simplistic plucking of the banjo and acoustic guitar help make the feelings of this song all the more real to the listener. This was a perfect way to end out the album.

There was only one song on this nine-track release that I felt was a low point, and that's "Jumbo". I wouldn't call this song awful. In fact, in the musical department, I appreciated how it really delved back into this band's bluegrass roots (the rest of this album feels like a deviation from the band's progressive bluegrass style, which I obviously don't think is a bad thing). This track is a bit disappointing, as it's the only song on here that feels so obviously anti-Trump. It's not that I am against a track with this subject matter. However, I feel like with how nuanced and balanced the rest of the album is, this song didn't fit the release. Still, the track doesn't hurt the album as a whole significantly. In fact, at this point in the year, it's really a free-for-all as to which album will get my best of the year for 2018. "All Ashore" is certainly a contender for that spot. Every time I've come back to this album, I've only been more impressed by it. As a literately inclined person, I adore almost all the lyrics here. They deserve deep analysis and introspection. The thematic arc of this album is something that I feel was needed for this year. Yes, we are living in dark and trying times. But, we can find ways to connect with each other through our very human essences. This album easily rivals the band's best, "Who's Feeling Young Now?", which I never thought I'd be able to say. Well done, boys!

Favorite Songs: "All Ashore", "Just Look at This Mess", "Like It's Going Out of Style", "The Gardener", "It's All Part of the Plan", "Three Dots and a Dash"
Least Favorite Songs: "Jumbo"