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Tim Rogers & The Temperance UnionGhost Songs/Dirty Ron FMR Rock and roll is a double-edged sword for Tim Rogers, being as it is both his downfall and his salvation. The lifestyle encourages his self-destructive tendencies but at the same time gives him purpose. Rogers would probably tell you that he couldn't do anything but write songs, and thank God, because his mastery of metaphor and ability to make the personal universal makes him one of our most accomplished songwriters. This double album only confirms that tag. The division of acoustic and electric songs, meanwhile, serve to highlight Rogers' struggle with his muse. 'Dirty Ron' documents the shenanigans of the night before; the countrified ballads on 'Ghost Songs' are the regretful, remorseful recollections of the morning after. Some will read much into the autobiographical nature of the songs, and wonder about Rogers' personal and professional relationships and his recently acknowledged battle with recreational substances. Others who think that rock'n'roll starts and finishes with the Stones' 'Exile On Main Street' will simply find a kindred spirit. Either way, the apparent tensions in Rogers' life seem to have provided him with the grist for his strongest writing since You Am I's 'Dress Me Slowly' album in 2001. That said, at one level Tim's band mates in You Am I shouldn't be too concerned: most of the bruising, boogie tunes on 'Dirty Ron' sound like You Am I b-sides (which is still not a bad thing). With 'Ghost Songs', though, Andy, Rusty and Davey might be wondering why Tim kept all the beautiful songs for his second band. Wild One, Obviously, Ghost Songs and Ridin' Between My Place & Ours are among Rogers' most perfectly-articulated ruminations on fucking up and the complexities of relationships. If this is where Tim Rogers' head is at, the new You Am I album, currently in production, should also be a ripper.  |
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