tonewelders - This Time

Tonewelders

This Time
self-released; 2014

3.6 out of 5

By Jamie Robash

One thing I often neglect to remember is that the state of Florida is in fact part of the south. I’m not trying to insinuate that I have no sense of direction only that as a child my nearly yearly visits to Florida consisted of a few days spent at Disney World followed by a few days spent on the beach in Ft. Meyers. I can assure you that with the exception of the Country Bear Jamboree show at Disney World, I never saw anything very southern about Florida. 

Though after listening to This Time, the latest record from the Gainesville, Florida’s Tonewelders I realized that Florida, at least ironically the northern half is indeed very southern. And the songs on This Time are also steeped in that smooth southern rock guitar sound that makes the original sound of “old country” pair so perfectly with heart string tugging lyrics, which nearly anyone can relate to no matter which quadrant of the United States they hail from. 

Take a song like the bluesy country lament “Why Do You Think They Call It Hope,” which with its heart achingly and at the same time wryly funny lyrics such as, “I don’t wanna die/cuz it just might hurt/but life after death is probably worse/my world is hanging at the end of my rope/why do you think they call  it hope.” There is no question mark at the end of the title, though there could have been, though the fact that there isn’t just seems to make the heartbreak the narrator is singing about that much worse. 

Not every song on This Time is sad though. Much of lead singer David Glennon’s talent on this album is best showcased by the variety of songs that make up This Time. Take for instance the insightful and alt country, “Mother Married a Drifter.” Dylanesque in composition, with it’s beautiful organ peals as Glennon recounts in words both hilarious and heartfelt the story of a boy who keeps thinking his mother’s new husband is always about to “take-off” much in the same way his father did. 

Another song that shows Glennon’s talents as an arranger and songwriter is the perfect piece of alt country “Highlight of Your Life.” The song ambles along with twangy guitar riffs and harmonica solos, though it is the female backing vocals that echo the laments of marriage, which really show the polish on this song. 

There are of course a few hokey songs that seem written for listening to after a few beers or for live shows played at bars where the clientele are used to dancing to the stale chugging of guitars. Though those songs are few and far between and do help the winners on This Time stand out.

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