Artist: Various Artists
Album: Golden Age: 25 Years of Signature Sounds
Label: Signature Sounds
Release Date: 1.29.21
Hold off on the cake and balloons for now. Before getting around to the usual rituals of celebrating a quarter century of revelatory indie folk and singer-songwriter discoveries, while also stumbling upon obscure greatness in other genres, Signature Sounds and label head Jim Olsen have come up with more satisfying and meaningful ways to mark the occasion.
Along with live-streamed shows for the 25th anniversary Parlor Room Home Sessions of Signature Sounds artists, a series that has raised more than $120,000 for musicians impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, comes a lovingly curated, 37-track anthology of remarkably diverse and beautifully crafted songs from its transient community of artists. Familiar names, such as early Signature Sounds recruit Josh Ritter and Eileen Jewell, sign the double-CD set’s guest registry with Ritter’s understated, deadpan folk-pop gem “Me & Jigs” and Jewell pulling at a loose thread in the yearning, country-tinged “Rain Rolls In” and letting it unravel elegantly. Amy Rigby scrawls out her signature, too, with the gnarly rock ‘n roll love letter “Dancing with Joey Ramone,” its punky rumble and infectious energy spurred on by a riot of lively handclaps, and Peter Mulvey contributes the wistful affair “Sad, Sad, Sad, Sad (And Faraway from Home).” Still, Golden Age: 25 Years of Signature Sounds has miles to go before it’s through.
A detour down Lake Street Drive finds soulfulness radiating from the R&B-flavored rockers’ vibrant, upbeat “You Go Down Smooth,” just as it oozes from Dust Bowl Revival’s warm, drawn-out “Busted” and its sultry horns. Zephyrs of melodic modern bluegrass sweep in and twirl around with The Mammals’ “Follow Me to Carthage,” the light, jumpy swing of Erin McKeown’s “La Petite Mort” and the gentle, banjo-plucked tumble of Joy Kills Sorrow’s “Was It You?” They die down when the haunting, grassy dirge “Undone in Sorrow,” from Crooked Still, goes dark and dreamy, starkly contrasting with Parsonfield’s “Weeds or Wildflowers,” which wheels about in raucous Irish folk revelry with The Pogues. Picking and choosing from 175 albums released over its history, Signature Sounds draws from a deep well here. Sweeter indie-pop nectar spills from the lo-fi, electro buzz of Kris Delmhorst’s “1000 Reasons,” while Twisted Pine’s luminous, adorably rootsy “Right Now” gives off a lovely glow and The Suitcase Junket’s insistent “Beta Star” swells with power-pop charisma.
If wading through Golden Age: 25 years of Signature Sounds seems daunting, let go of such concerns. Exceedingly listenable, just as Olsen hoped in accompanying historical liner notes padded by brief, but informative, artist profiles, the collection is carefully plotted to flow easily from the earthy, spare blues meditation of Chris Smither’s “Seems so Real” to the stripped-down, strummed cover of “True Colors” by Caroline Herring that brings this whole sprawling journey to a whispering close. Cyndi Lauper might have made it famous, but Herring brought “True Colors” to a more isolated, even quieter place, one Signature Sounds has often visited. Olsen and company also feel right at home in brighter environments, entering the traditional country gospel church of “Taggin’ Along with Jesus” with The Sacred Shakers skipping along in a pleasant, unhurried manner.
Going off the beaten path repeatedly, Signature Sounds has a bloodhound’s nose for finding rare talent, no matter where it happens to be hiding. And while each act has its own singular aesthetic, they all share an ability to tell affecting stories, write evocative poetry and assemble songs that bond with listeners through deep intimacy or charming accessibility. Olsen appears to have the Midas touch, even if nobody’s getting rich off it.
—Peter Lindblad
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