So many songs so much like this one, so why does Vester Jones' "Katy Cline" stand out? The vocals are a less rich variation on the affable mode of Mississippi John Hurt, and the lyrics, while nice, don't stray far from well-worn formulae. What elevates "Katy Cline" to the sublime is the banjo playing -- that dense swirl of sound with an ache at its centre. In the midst of this syncopated flurry of notes -- its satisfying cadences and stuttering rapidity -- the song's cliches become unassailable insights, its prosaic form the Platonic form of good.
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Posted by Jordan at November 19, 2008 5:28 PM