John Craigie – Pagan Church
It’s 2024, and it finally feels like music is back to its full-throated best (minus, of course, the still-present threat of another COVID outbreak). And while the early part of this decade provided some fantastically introspective songwriting, it seems like it’s time to go a little bigger and get the band back together – or, in the case of John Craigie, work with an all-new band. The Portland-based singer-songwriter played some pandemic-safe outdoor concerts with local boys TK & The Holy Know-Nothings. After those shows and recording a single together (the swampy, of-its-moment “Laurie Rolled Me a J”), he and the band decided their chemistry was solid enough to work together on Craigie’s new album at the band’s studio. The result is a dark-humored mix of blues, electric folk and slightly twangy rock-n-roll.
An indication of Craigie’s direction on Pagan Church comes in its first moments – “Damn My Love” rides on a bouncy groove while lyrically shading a bit darker – “Give me something, baby, make me not wanna die/Hey I’ll lick the dust right off your thigh” – and also includes an early contender for Line of the Year – “If you’re only young once, how many times are you old?” “California Sober” is a slinky, slide-y look at vices – “Said her drinking days are over/Still smoking weed on the weekend” – with a glance askance at religious piety – “Mary never told Jesus to get a job,” a theme that Craigie returns to several times on the record.
As with “Laurie Rolled Me a J,” where he took healthy swings at Trump, et al, Craigie is not fond of abused authority. “Where It’s From,” a downbeat tune enhanced by Sydney Nash’s Wurlitzer and nice harmonies from Jay Cobb Anderson, casts a glare at false prophets of all sorts – “Teachers, preacher eager as they drag me down/They all feel like lighthouses watching me drown.” “Viking Sex” is more uptempo but makes no allowance for bullshit – “If God didn’t tell people what to do/A lot more people would believe in God” – while also finding solace in more Earthly places – “We make love like the ship’s going down.”
Along with excellent musicianship across the album, there are genuinely pretty moments on Pagan Church. “Sandra” is a dusty, acoustic-and-piano ballad about love and loss – “I’m too old to ignore your ghost/But too young not to be haunted” – enhanced with subtle slide work from Taylor KIngman. And the title track is a wistful slow build with a name inspired by Craigie’s favorite musical meeting spot – Portland’s Laurelthirst Public House – with an entirely different subject in mind – “I admit it will feel good to kill what’s killing me/Oh I never understood this cancer’s strategy.” Dark stuff, to be sure. But, as the title Pagan Church would imply, Craigie finds comfort not in easy answers or traditional holy places, but in making music with friends.
Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Grand Junction” – a riffy ride through my adopted home state and the strange characters you might encounter there – “Asked me to dance, there was no music/You said, ‘Don’t let it go to your head/When Colorado gets this cold, I’d lie with Satan himself.’”
Pagan Church was engineered and mixed by Tyler Thompson and mastered by Jon Neufeld. All songs written by John Craigie. Musicians on the album include Craigie (vocals, acoustic guitar) and TK & The Holy Know-Nothings: Taylor Kingman (acoustic guitar, slide guitar, electric guitar, 12-string guitar, bass, vocals), Jay Cobb Anderson (pedal steel, harmonica, piano, acoustic guitar, organ, electric guitar, bass, vocals), Lewi Longmire (bass, piano, trumpet, organ, vocals), Sydney Nash (organ, piano, trumpet, trombone, alto sax, Wurlitzer, electric guitar, vocals) and Tyler Thompson (drums). Also featuring Bart Budwig (trumpet, vocals),
Go here to order Pagan Church (out January 12): https://john-craigie.myshopify.com/collections/pagan-church
Check out tour dates here: https://johncraigiemusic.com/shows
Enjoy our previous coverage here: Show Review: John Craigie at The Republik, Honolulu