Favorite New Music: Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
posted by RichmanVA
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
Cardinology
Lost Highway
2008
SIDE A
1. Born Into A Light
2. Go Easy
3. Fix It
4. Magick
5. Cobwebs
6. Let Us Down Easy
SIDE B
1. Crossed Out Name
2. Natural Ghost
3. Sink Ships
4. Evergreen
5. Like Yesterday
6. Stop
BONUS 7″
1. Heavy Orange
2. Asteroid
Favorite Tracks: Born Into A Light, Crossed Out Name, Evergreen, Stop, Heavy Orange
I am a huge fan of downloading for two reasons. First of all, I’m an impatient bastard who has to listen everything before it comes out. Secondly, I don’t buy CD’s anymore, but I do own an iPod and a lot of LP’s don’t come with free downloads. However, after taking part in an interview with Chris Demakes of Less Than Jake, I kinda changed my tune on the whole downloading thing. We were talking about how, because of Internet leaks, the “magic” of release day has been lost on an entire generation. The day an album is released means nothing anymore. I remember being 12 years old and waiting for months for Guns N’ Roses’ Use Your Illusion 1 & 2 to be released, buying the albums the day they came out and then spending that entire day in my room listening to those two cassettes over and over while reading the lyric book. That doesn’t happen anymore. So for this album, I wanted to revisit the time before Internet leaks and actually wait till it was released before listening to it. I resisted the urge to download it early and instead opted to hear Cardinology for the first time by laying the red wax on my turntable and reading the lyrics while listening to this excellent, though not perfect album.
If you have followed Ryan Adam’s blog over the past several months like myself, then you will know that he has been extremely open and honest, some would say to a fault, about his fears, insecurities and relationship problems. The first thing I noticed about this record is that it seems to be one long letter written to himself to remember that things will get better and all hope is not lost. With lyrics like Be patient / Oh the past is just a memory / And heal / Heal your vines / You’ll heal inside eventually from “Born Into A Light” If only to say this to myself / I will always love you / So go easy on yourself from “Go Easy” and Slow down / You don’t have to talk / Lie down / Breath / Slow down / It’s not your fault / Look around / There’s so many of us / And you are not alone from the hauntingly beautiful album closer “Stop”, it’s hard not to imagine Ryan saying these words to himself.
The album is an imperfect/perfect representation of a human being dealing with the ideas of sobriety and a broken heart in the only way that an artist can: By creating art about it. It’s both amazing and hard to listen to. It’s inconsistent, but at the same time an amazing piece of art that may owe its inconsistencies to a record label that chose the track listings. Either way, it is Ryan Adams showing us that he doesn’t need his alcoholic tendencies to make an album that we can all relate to and all feel a kinship with.
Cardinology may not be Ryan Adams & The Cardinals best album, but it just might be the most human.
One side note for those planning to see The Cardinals live this year. Although Cardinolgy is a mostly acoustic album, the live show is all electric rock. So be prepared.
“Crossed Out Name” - Live 09.29.08
“Born Into A Light” - Live 10.17.08
“Stop”