Centro-matic's Ft. Recovery
by Monte Holman
Centro-matic is Will Johnson, Scott Danbom, Mark Hedman and Matt Pence.
Thankfully, longevity is not usually associated with rock bands. Most these days provide a flash-in-the-pan something that's pretty innovative, and then they're on their way to melting into other formations and lineups in other bands showcasing the new twist on the old rehash. But Centro-matic hit the ground running a decade ago, and they've managed to remain relevant ever since.
Which is astonishing considering how much music these guys make together. Sometime between 1995 and 1997, front man Will Johnson became infected with the Bob Pollard bug. Centro-matic is not only Centro-matic (two cassettes, seven EP/7"/singles and eight full-lengths among other recordings in the last ten years), but they're also South San Gabriel when feeling sparse (two full-lengths) and Johnson's solo recordings when feeling sparser (two full-lengths and one 7"). The band also tours continually under one moniker or another. And to audiences each show seems like the first thanks to the give-a-shitness the band injects into each outing. From Denton to Denmark, their barroom sing-alongs encourage crowds, new and old, to get real drunk and join in the howling.
Ft. Recovery (Misra), the band's latest effort, is further proof that the Centro-matic knows how to carry the energy of the stage-or dingy pub corner-to a recording. Overall more subdued than the band's last record (2003's Love You Just the Same), Ft. Recovery has the same tenor as previous Centro-matic albums, featuring cheap fuzz from busted amps, distorted bass, doo-wops, memorable hooks, friendship. But in Ft. Recovery, the quiet tunes are lovelier, harnessing the characteristic feedback and harmonies into ghostly ambience ("Covered Up in Mines" and "I See Through You"). The raucous songs are more determined, slower in tempo but more confident in step and direction. The band's as loud as before but the instrumentation is more epic ("Monument Sails").
This is not to say Ft. Recovery doesn't retain the alcohol-induced anthems we expect from Centro-matic. "For New Starts" begs you to throw back your can of Lone Star, lock arms with your friends and join in the drawled-out shouting: "carefully braced and disgraced in this battle trash and waste - that's no condition for a new start." Swaggering guitars and a reckless tambourine carry us, wasted, from the bar. The pop songs pop-"Calling Thermatico," "Triggers and Trash Heaps" and "The Fugitives Have Won" are sturdy staples to a discography sprinkled with catchy refrains. "Take the Maps and Run" is a haunting stroll through a ghost town, cymbal-less and acoustic. The most unforgettable chorus on the record is found on "Patience For the Ride," a driving song for North Texas highways.
This album also offers some touching songs that surpass any Johnson has written. "In Such Crooked Times" is a beautiful old country standard; its steadiness is an imagistic reflection on companionship and loyalty. Similarly, "Nothin' I Ever Seen" sweetly ponders eternity and ends with Johnson's bare vocals wavering falsetto. Isolation is always at hand in Johnson's lyrics, but he's held close by Scott Danbom's slings of keys, violins and backup vocals, Mark Hedman's dynamic bass lines and Matt Pence's unremitting mix of toms and snares. Some would be tempted to say that Johnson's penchant for using archaic language is a distraction, too precious. But the strength of the band is its ability to pull Johnson back to the listener with the accessibility of the music. Johnson's vulnerability is sincere in these slower songs, and we believe him.
Centro-matic's continued pertinence doesn't spring from trying to be the first to do the next big thing. It's simply that they write good songs and do it well. The likeability lies in the simple structures, the verse/chorus layouts, the few tricky chords. Centro-matic is folksy Americana within everyone's reach-tender, desperate, hopeful.
Fittingly, "Take a Rake" is the rowdy closing track, kicking the chairs out from under everyone during last call. As the lights in the bar start to come on, the band trails off, downs a shot of whiskey, then launches into a shrill, Hendrix-esque fuck-you to the owner for trying to close the place down before two. They're not done yet.
Ft. Recovery can be streamed Misra's website. It comes out Tuesday, March 7, and Centro-matic is playing at the Mercury in NYC on April 2. Go to this show.
