by Chris Mattern
TIM BARRY - 28th & Stonewall (Suburban Home)
While I found myself impatiently awaiting this fourth record by melodic hardcore pioneer turned contemporary folk artist Tim Barry, I have to admit that I was a little concerned. Fourth records are generally hard, and in my opinion most artists and bands either fizzle out or fail to produce the expected product by the time they reach their fourth record. In fact, most of the bands and artists I love never really make it to the fourth record. All nervousness and anxiety aside, Tim Barry definitely did not disappoint, delivering a record that stands shoulder to shoulder with his breakthrough Rivana Junction and rises miles about last year’s Manchester.
28th and Stonewall opens much like Manchester with the rockin’ poppy singalong “Thing Of The Past,” featuring great choruses, catchy pop hooks and a full band behind Tim's inimitable voice. From the pop rock opener, Tim settles in with “Bozeman,” a slow-tempo folk tune with, as usual, a heartbreaking story behind it. Over the next 12 tracks, Tim takes us on a lyrical journey touching on everything from ending relationships to hopping freight trains, and ending with the tongue in cheek “Bus Driver,” completing what is in this writer’s humble opinion his strongest album to date.
While you can clearly see the progress Tim has made since 2007’s The Laurel Street Demos, 28th and Stonewall will definitely not alienate fans of his previous post-AVAIL releases. From gritty pop tunes to his trademark thought-provoking lyrical attacks, this album delivers. Take “Prosser's Gabriel,” for example, a fascinating bit of history about an individual that led a slave rebellion against the capital of Virginia and who, along with his fellow slaves, is now buried beneath sections of highway with no historical markers or headstones in Barry’s native Richmond, VA.
There are plenty of light-hearted tunes here as well, perfect to crank up and crack beers to, like “Will Travel” and “Downtown VCU,” both of which hit that foot stompin’, hand clappin’ nail right on the head. Tim rounds out the album with angrier tunes such as “Short Goodbye” and “Memeno Mori.” This album flat out kicks ass!
All and all, I feel that to ramble on about this record would never do it justice. Simply put, it needs to be listened to; so pick it up, and listen to the beauty of what one talented individual can do with a few simple chords, an acoustic guitar, and something to say.
