Saturday Spins Vol. 37
Arlo McKinley & The Lonesome Sound
Every Saturday I use the Discogs Randomizer Gizmo to pick a record from my collection and write about it here.
Who is ready to be sad? I’m talking like worst day, week, month, YEAR, you have ever had. Well if you are currently feeling that way, or would like to be reminded of feeling that way, boy does the Discogs Randomizer have a treat for you this week.
Back in 2014, if you bought this album, you were “in the know” or you lived in southern Ohio/Kentucky and were attuned to that music scene. I can’t even remember how I was introduced to Arlo McKinley, but man was I blown away when I first heard him. His debut album is what I am discussing today, it is about as honest and gut-wrenching as you can get—which is what makes Arlo, real name Timothy Carr, a songwriting force. It was also recorded live.
Ironically, his debut album was not what I heard first, like so many others that weren’t able to waltz around and say, “hey I know this up and coming singer and you don’t”, I first heard Arlo when someone sent me the video for “Die Midwestern” the first single off of his second LP. Arlo is signed to John Prine’s Oh Boy Record label, so you know he is the realest of deals.
This record is a slow burn, and will take you many listens to really get into it. Thankfully, I have already listened to it front and back a few times before writing about it here. While there are many stand out tracks, which I will get to later, there are no memorable or catchy hooks or riffs—it’s all melancholic storytelling with solid musical backing.
My copy is a clean reissue from the previously mentioned Oh Boy Records. It is missing the bonus track “Wishing” which is actually my favorite track on the whole darn album, but it’s unfortunately not on wax. “Don’t Need to Know” is the kind of song I would have used in high school to describe my hometown—not much has changed on that front. It has a great melody, but McKinley’s vocals evoke the frustration described in the lyrics. “This Damn Town” is also acidic towards his locale in a similar way. Who would have thought Cincinnati would suck so much?1
“Time in Bars” is one of the best tracks on this release, and it really impresses with the country-blues chops. It is another tear in my beer kind of song, but again Arlo relies on the passion in his vocals to drive home the sadness in this track. The slow burn of “Waiting for Wild Horses” has a creeping buildup that exudes expert balladry by McKinley and his band.
Finally, “Dark Side of the Street” closes out the album with a more punk/hard rock influence to give the twang just a little edge. It is needed because if you listen to the lyrics, it is pretty much an autobiography in song form for McKinley—takes some real cajones to cut yourself open over 10-11 tracks for all the world to hear, but Arlo does it well. He continues to do it well with 2020’s Die Midwestern” and 2022’s This Mess We’re In.
Give it a listen, apologies in advance for saddening up your Saturday, but maybe this album is the medicine for someone who is actually hurting—especially during this time of year.
Here is another shameless plug for subscriptions. Rather than go with a pay to read model, I switched to pay if you want. As an added incentive, other than the writing and supporting the Stack, I am giving away some sealed vinyl box sets and other ephemera worth exponentially more than the cost of a yearly subscription—read all about it here. As always, thanks for being here either way!
As a Steelers fan, I suppose Cincinnati is about as bad as the mistake by the lake, Cleveland.