It’s ironic that an album that deals with the quintessential Infamous Stringdusters’ themes of wanderlust and attraction turns out being their coming home party back to the traditional bluegrass fold. Although this album has more bluegrass influence than any other album, besides debatably their first project ‘Fork in the Road’, it’s incorrect to say that the Dusters abandoned the audience that started their upward trajectory. Chris Pandolfi especially has been a strong vocal leader for the “large tent” theory of bluegrass, and has spoken at IBMA about this specific issue. Regardless, their last album ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ was an artistic venture into female-driven Americana. Because of the genre jump, many new followers have joined the Colorado centered craze which has led to this band being recognized by Rolling Stone and other websites and magazines. This context makes their new album, ‘Laws of Gravity’ not only important for what the Dusters will become 10 years after their introductory barnstorming album, but also important for where progressive bluegrass is heading as a whole. If this album is any indication, bluegrass fans of all types will rejoice. This is the Stringdusters at their most dynamic, roots oriented, and infamous.
What had plagued previous Stringdusters’ albums is the desire for extreme dynamics that were created through slow, melodic, minimalist passages. Without a mandolin, and with Jeremey Garret possibly being the least minimal or melodic player in bluegrass today (not an insult), this mode has never worked best for them especially on their most recent albums. These dynamics work much better on songs like “Won’t Be Coming Back” that establish a groove based on the assumption that bluegrass fans have: that a banjo and fiddle intro means an old timey groove and mood. With a different audience growing, these cues were left by the wayside to create more variation. On this work, variation and familiarity somehow go hand in hand. The perfect example of this is “Maxwell” that starts with Garrett’s fiddle long bowing behind the strums of Pandolfi’s banjo and Falco’s guitar. This intro is ambiguous, but it’s not long until Falco gives us a tempo and Book’s voice and bass enter the scene. Suddenly you realize that the song has been double timed from the previous pace and the dancing can commence.
Maybe it’s because I’m not much of a dancer, or maybe it’s because I’m that much of a bluegrasser, but the most danceable song and miles away best song on this album is, “A Hard Life Makes a Good Song”. If somebody unfamiliar with everything about the Dusters besides their reputation would listen to this song, they would be shocked at the strong traditional flavor. Each break is opened with a Falco G Run rather than the “Classic” kick off for each instrument. Pandolifi plays the open B walking up the D, Hall plays the D, G, and B strings before sliding up to the D, and Garret does a little shuffle intro. This song also has the best verse of the project, which also speaks to the disposition of the band as a whole. After Garret’s pull-off centered solo and a Falco chorus response Garret sings, “When you’re singing your song/ and you really mean it/ there’s a power in what you said/ and if the words that they hear have them believing/ everyone in the room will nod their head.” I’ve listened to this song 47 times, and I’m still nodding my head.
While this is the most “traditional” song on the album, the whole album much more resembles their older more bluegrass oriented material. The difference between now and seven years ago, is that their traditional bluegrass sound has lost its chop due to the loss of their mandolin player Jesse Cobb. This leads to very unique instrumental roles for certain instruments and enhanced roles for others. Even on a first listen, the rhythm section of this album sounds much punchier than what has been done by the band in the past. This is because Falco is somehow playing both guitar and mandolin rhythms on this album. Falco’s 1s and 5s are still there, but you will also hear the muted chords by Falco to create a chop while Garret is doing fills or a solo. Speaking of fills, most still go to Hall and Garrett, but this album has the role of Pandolfi’s banjo larger than any other previous project. The first verse of “Black Elk” has some very unorthodox, yet very Pandolfi-esque rolls that push the pace of this very energy driven track.
The Stringdusters should not limit themselves to any one genre even if it is a more bluegrass oriented one. This is the type of band that enjoys the unique journeys of each project and the artistic growth that comes with them. Whether focusing on certain dimensions of jam grass, focusing on their vocal arrangements, or working on their chops as an Americana back-up band, this band has gone through an enviable journey that any musician would dream of, and ‘Laws of Gravity’ is a brilliant next step.
