Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit- Weathervanes
Label: Southeastern
Producer: Jason Isbell
The arrival of Weathervanes comes just two days shy of the tenth anniversary of Southeastern, Jason Isbell’s watershed masterpiece and the pivotal moment that, along with the decade of prolific and haunting albums that followed, firmly established Isbell as arguably the most harrowingly great singer-songwriter of his generation. With his crackling band, The 400 Unit by his side, he wagers his first foray into self-production since 2011 and his union with Dave Cobb on Southeastern. And he once again delivers a masterful body of roots rock and country-Americana performances, bolstered by riveting and emotive arrangements, and a graceful combination of both his gripping first-person experiences and evocative character arcs. Tracks like lead single, “Death Wish”, and “When We Were Close” tenderly but boldly navigate the impact of one’s crippling addictions from the perspective of the addict’s loved ones. “King of Oklahoma” and “Middle of the Morning” offer some of Isbell’s most passionately fiery vocals to date. They explore both bitter nostalgia for past moments in a relationship, and the defeat of being trapped in one of those distant ruts that inevitably bites any marriage that lasts long enough to provide the opportunity. His penchant for folksy whimsy and unique, intimate details usher smiling romance on “Strawberry Woman”, endearing first-date quabbles on “If You Insist”, and just pure and utter sadness on “Cast Iron Skillet”. Meanwhile, the topical fearlessness and legacy of his artistic bravery gloriously solidified on Southeastern classics like “Elephant”, “Cover Me Up”, and “Yvette” grows monumentally. “Volunteer” follows a child left an orphan after his parents seemingly succumb to their toxic relationship and habits, while “White Beretta” tracks a mature reflection from the father of a pregnancy aborted in his youth. And then there’s “Save the World”, a startlingly raw and honest account of a father hearing the news about yet another school shooting; it immediately ranks among Isbell’s most stunning lyrical achievements, important and unflinching as any previous moment in his catalog. There’s also no trace of political posturing; it’s merely the masterful expression of the unadulterated fear and horror a parent faces when letting their child venture out into an uncertain and violent world. There’s simply no other artist on the planet today who can so beautifully wrap such heavy and varied life experience within the course of one album, and then marry it with music that gives the listener an adrenaline rush as simultaneously powerful as the devastation rendered by the lyrics. Every Jason Isbell record has accomplished that staggering feat in its own right, but it’s arguable that no album has done so as thoroughly and vibrantly since Southeastern as Weathervanes does. May this forthcoming decade of Isbell music be as remarkably great as the last; this is an emphatically promising sign to start with.
Track Listing:
- “Death Wish” (Jason Isbell)
- “King of Oklahoma” (Isbell)
- “Strawberry Woman” (Isbell)
- “Middle of the Morning” (Isbell)
- “Save the World” (Isbell)
- “If You Insist” (Isbell)
- “Cast Iron Skillet” (Isbell)
- “When We Were Close” (Isbell)
- “Volunteer” (Isbell)
- “Vestavia Hills” (Isbell)
- “White Beretta” (Isbell)
- “This Ain’t It” (Isbell)
- “Miles” (Isbell)
The 706 
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