When it comes to naming albums with grand plans of defining a genre, Ornette Coleman had that down to a fine art. Not only did he define a sound with Free Jazz, but he also gave listeners a heads up with an earlier album called The Shape of Jazz to Come. Now Nashville-based instrumental guitar virtuoso William Tyler is having a crack at it with his recently announced album Modern Country, set to be unleashed upon the world June 3 via Merge Records.
In addition to his usual modus operandi of himself and a guitar, Tyler has recorded Modern Country with an ensemble lineup featuring the heavy chops of folks like Glen Kotche (Wilco), Darin Grey (Jeff Tweedy, Jim O’Rourke, etc), and Phil Cook (Hiss Golden Messenger).
You can get an idea of what that killer ensemble sounds like backing Tyler’s fast fingers below, along with his own explanation of the album, which apparently has to do with capturing the dying spaces of backwater America in a modern country. But we’re not ruling out the probability that he’ll kill two birds with one stone and define a genre too.
Tyler also shared the album’s first single, “Gone Clear,” which you can check out after the trailer.
Modern Country tracklist:
01. Highway Anxiety
02. I’m Gonna Live Forever (If It Kills Me)
03. Kingdom of Jones
04. Albion Moonlight
05. Gone Clear
06. Sunken Garden
07. The Great Unwind
More about: Darin Gray, Glen Kotche, Hiss Golden Messenger, Phil Cook, Wilco, William Tyler
