Matt Krahula and the Nightmare River Band’s seminal alt-country/alt-folk collection Last Goodbye solidified their standing as one of the premier bands working along the margins of the modern music scene. The album’s release in the early 2010s proved to be a watershed moment for the Brooklyn outfit, and Krahula’s songs continue resonating over a decade later.
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The great American novelist Thomas Wolfe wrote you can’t go home again. Bob Dylan urged us to don’t look back. However, there is value in revisiting the past so we can properly assess its impact on the present and, potentially, the future. A decade-plus after the album’s release found Krahula looking back on that pivotal point in his songwriting art and, inspired by Henry Kapono’s The Songs of C&K, drafted a bevy of younger performers to cover the material.
The result shows the elasticity of Krahula’s songs. Last Goodbye 11 features often radically reworked tracks that nonetheless keep the guiding spirit driving Krahula and the Nightmare River Band’s initial performances. Bunny Day & The Mercy Buckets open the album with its title track. The folky jangle of “Last Goodbye” lulls listeners into the album’s world with a dreamlike aura that radiates warmth from the outset.
There is a bit of musical sleight of hand. It begins in a straightforward fashion before soon segueing into a much grander design. Choral backing vocals enter the picture and complement Bunny Day’s lead vocal without sacrificing the cut’s initial feel. Bird Streets transforms “Walk On” into an easy-going pop-rock march complete with slashing guitars and a relaxed, yet focused lead vocal. It opens Last Goodbye 11 with a strong contrast that sets listeners up for everything that follows.
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“Oh Me Oh My” has an effervescent pop bounce and an inventive arrangement incorporating several twists and turns. The mix of lead and backing vocals is another of the performance’s high points. An infectious melodic sense pervades the cut anchored by a snappy beat that connects with listeners on a physical level. Dan Romer’s interpretation of “Life Just Stops” recreates the song as an arty classically influenced piece. The string-propelled arrangement and massed backing vocals make for an effective counterpoint to Romer’s plaintive vocal touch. It’s one of the album’s unquestionable high points and illustrative of Krahula’s successful approach to revamping the album for this anniversary.
Quiet Hollers adheres to the alt-country impulse guiding much of Krahula and the Nightmare River Band’s original vision for their version of “Mary”. Quirky flourishes punctuate the near-shuffle arrangement, and Quiet Hollers strikes a relaxed amble carrying listeners from the beginning to the end. Hurrah! A Bolt of Light! refurbishes the track “Goodbye to Your Friends” into an artful performance that emphasizes atmospherics and achieves an unusually ornate beauty. However, it remains accessible and stands as another highlight of this release.
Last Goodbye 11 is a resounding success. It isn’t often that releases of this nature work, even in part, but Matt Krahula has obviously chosen a first-class crew of artists to breathe new life into these venerable songs. It’s a must-have experience for any serious music fan.
Garth Thomas