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Fletcher Harrington | Eyes On Fire & Knuckles Sore

An elegant do-it-your-self masterpiece from an adventurous tunesmith.
CD, Lopie

Tekst: Maurice Dielemans

Publicatiedatum: 27 oktober 2002

This suberb 12-song collection and Harrington’s first solo effort, Eyes On Fire & Knuckles Sore, is an elegant do-it-yourself masterpiece that is perfectly constructed from a surprisingly broad and unusual take on psychedelic country music, which inadvertently grows in space, depth and honest beauty with each careful listen. Fletcher Harrington is an adventurous singer-songwriter that comes very close to approximating an experimental and groundbreaking kind of Michael Nesmith-styled Americana in which there are no musical rules and borders. In fact, everything seems to be allowed on Harrington’s beautifully titled debut CD Eyes On Fire & Knuckles Sore. This exceptional record is Harrington’s quest for a different kind of Nashville, but also a different approach on crafting introspective songs from the great American song book.

Very much like the lost repertoire of Cowboy Buddah, the songs on tunesmith and Cowboy Buddah's front man Harrington’s Eyes On Fire & Knuckles Sore are a sublime fusion of reckless garage punk and neo-traditional country, dominated by a mid-‘70s cosmic American country meets messy rock chic. Even though Harrington’s remarkably Neil Young-like falsetto may scare unaware listeners, most of the tender ballads and the album’s strongest moments arrive in a well-crafted form of memorable and dramatic country duets, like the third song 'Paralyzed', which is one of the many lovely duets gratefully supported by backing vocalist Patti Pannell. This way of singing together reminds us of Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris on the milestone record Grievous Angel, but Fletcher's approach is less contemporary.

And then there are also the so-called throwaway psycho-country songs with a simple three-chord assault, like the album’s nonchalant opener 'As If You Had A Choice' and the weird 'With A Shape Like Yours', a catchy and somewhat ironic song that sounds brilliantly fresh. Other confrontational highlights are 'I’m A God Today' and the final 11-minute anthem 'Coming Apart At The Seams', which is notable for the beautiful and ambient break that turns into another triumphal and stripped-down ballad, with just Harrington on his acoustic guitar.

"Because I’m God a god today and nothing can take that away, even if you wanted, even if you dared", Harrington’s often cryptically and surrealistic approach of writing songs suggest that Fletch Harrington is mostly inspired by the old-school Californian singer-songwriter legacy. But Harrington’s intimate love for Jackson Browne, Gene Clark, Gram Parsons, Michael 'Papa Nez' Nesmith and pedal steel guitars melts easily with anything else, especially his deep roots in such loose South-western rock ‘n’ roll outfits as the Minutemen and R.E.M. Not only is Harrington’s somewhat obscure Eyes On Fire & Knuckles Sore amongst the finest 21st century alternative country albums, it is also a brilliant redefinition of the cosmic Americana sound.

Produced by several species of small furry animals, Eyes On Fire & Knuckles Sore is an atmospheric Americana album that at the same time explores new territory. Fletcher Harrington is certainly a God on this terrific album.

http://www.kindamuzik.net/recensie/fletcher-harrington/eyes-on-fire-knuckles-sore/1982/
Meer Fletcher Harrington op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/fletcher-harrington