A wry personality with a light touch, Walker is relaxed and calming without coming off uninterested.
Walker may be following in the footsteps of others, but the decision to reposition himself as the frontman of a rock band rather than a folk guitarist allows him to develop a more clear identity than before. Mostly, he presents a cynical and self-deprecating worldview - “wise-assed wisdom wasted on the young,” as he puts it, rounding out his persona. On tracks like the well-meaning but overwrought romantic ballad “I Will Ask You Twice”, this style can create particularly cloying moments.
Walker perfectly captures the feeling of spending a late night with a drunken friend who flips on a dime between lighthearted jokes, faux-deep observations, and emotional confessions. An example of it working comes on single “The Roundabout”, where musings of ordering tap water at a bar (because his “credit is quite shit”) quickly develop into personal, reflective considerations (“Come to think of it, I think my dad wanted a daughter”). In his charming and amiable demeanor, Walker attempts to create poetry out of whatever pops into his head, but doesn’t always succeed. It falls in line with the recent methods of Kozelek (Walker thought Universal Themes was better than Benji) but doesn’t read as much as diary entries. Throughout, Walker’s esoteric rambling takes center stage, with the singer spinning yarns in a stream of consciousness approach. Walker likes to jam when playing live, and that sense of loose expansion is applied to his songs, an ebb and flow with room to breathe. There are occasionally pacing issues, with songs like “Sullen Mind” running longer than the track can reasonably sustain, but the varying styles find Walker growing comfortable utilizing different frameworks. The result is a combination of both styles, with half the album made of long, winding, evolving tracks. He initially envisioned the album as a collection of four extended suites, but moved towards shorter, more baroque songs. He may no longer be reaching for virtuoso status, but his skill with the instrument takes prominence as he expands his palette. A slow, gentle riff drives the prolonged closer “Age Old Tale”, as shimmering chimes drift in and out. His fingerpicked melodies shape songs like opener and highlight “The Halfwit In Me”, serving as the backbone for much of the album. The dalliances with piano-led jazz rock pop up in the record, but Walker’s guitar still resonates as the lead instrument. The wilting piano languidly drives the song as if it’s materializing for the first time, requiring patience. With his backing band, Walker finds a quiet majesty in this gentle approach. The near seven minutes of “Funny Thing She Said” unfold slowly and naturally, with ornate guitar riffs dragging behind the jazzy piano lead. Walker works quickly, having releasing three solo records in three years with every intention of continuing that trend, but the amount of care and consideration that went into his latest is apparent. Walker has lofty goals, and Golden Sings is his most ambitious work yet. He worked with friend and producer Leroy Bach (formerly of Wilco) to help shape his complex arrangements. Instead of folk legends, Chicago greats like Tortoise, Jim O’Rourke, and The Sea and Cake are the signposts, with a focus on lyrics similar to his idols Mark Eitzel and Mark Kozelek. On his followup, Golden Sings That Have Been Sung, he jumps forward about two decades to ‘90s indie rock. It’s not me,’” Walker told The Passion of the Weiss. “I did that for a few years, and I was like, ‘Goddamnit. Influenced by John Fahey and Jack Rose while also following in a new wave with contemporaries like Steve Gunn and William Tyler, the album was a strong showing by a promising artist looking to further a traditional sound.īut Walker wasn’t necessarily thrilled about Primrose Green, and is anxious to put that era behind him and move on to something new. Ryley Walker’s breakout record, last spring’s Primrose Green, was an inspired take on ‘60-inspired jazz folk, centered around intricate guitar riffs where the vocals were sometimes an afterthought.
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