Based upon its premise alone, The Gunshy’s There’s No Love In This War stands as one of the best independent releases of 2007.
Strong words, right?
Before you start typing your letter to the editor, consider some of the specifics. There’s No Love is the fourth effort of Matt Arbogast, a non-native Chicagoan who has been releasing music for seven years. Operating under the radar of consumers and critics alike, Arbogast remains adamant in his do-it-yourself lifestyle, writing, recording and touring without the support of a major label. He received moderate praise for his third release, Souls, in 2006, and released There’s No Love In This War this past Tuesday on Latest Flame Records.
Musically speaking, the album is nothing groundbreaking. Arbogast’s traditional folk arrangements contrast nicely with his growling voice (think Tom Waits’ timbre with Billy Bragg’s swagger). Classic rock fans will hear Bringing it All Back Home, while indie enthusiasts will dismiss the album in favor of In the Aeroplane Over the Sea’s more idiosyncratic elements.
But to judge The Gunshy in terms of genre is to miss the point. There’s No Love shines through its theme: 17 songs based on letters sent from Arbogast’s grandfather, Paul, to his grandmother during World War II. Yes, it’s a concept album.
Generally speaking, concept albums tend to be an aesthetic letdown. In one sense, the paradigm has great potential to heighten the emotive and intellectual force of an album. Yet more often than not, the “concept” that holds the songs together renders the piece too kitschy (see: Pink Floyd’s The Wall) or too ambitious to be accessible (see: Coheed and Cambria).
What distinguishes There’s No Love In This War is the added element of non-fiction. Rather than relying on ambiguous poetry, Arbogast embraces the unadulterated reflections of his grandfather—on family, combat, and coping—and channels these thoughts directly into his compositions. The theme invests the album with an authenticity that escapes other commercially motivated efforts. These lyrics were written for an audience of one, not a demographic.
Take, for example, “September 6, 1945/Til My Belly Hangs Over My Belt.” Throughout the song, Paul Abrogast considers growing old after the conclusion of war stating, “Til my belly hangs over my belt, I’ll relearn the taste/I’ll work for myself, take plenty of days rest to spend with you/Let dollars and cents not measure my wealth.”
The observations may be simple, but the idea has real emotional depth: Paul Abrogast survived WW II, formed a family, had a child (Matt’s father, Mark) and then died at the age of 39 due to a heart attack—an untimely death attributed to shrapnel in his chest.
The larger context of Paul Abrogast’s letters in his life creates a unique lyrical experience for the listener, one free of artistic self-consciousness and self-indulgence. In short, Matt Abrogast has sculpted a real accomplishment—an album that celebrates his lineage, his grandfather’s ideals and his very existence.
So why are you still listening to the new Kanye?
The Gunshy will be performing at The Red and Black this Friday, October 19th. His album There’s No Love in this War can be streamed in its entirety at www.thegunshy.com
