Irreverent Country

I'm extremely happy for the gals of Birdcloud for how heavily they are featured in this Rolling Stone piece, "Raunchy Country: Inside the Genre's History of Comedy and Irreverence." The piece covers a good deal of historical irreverence in the genre it also highlights several more modern acts, like Jonny Fritz, that ride the line between sincerity and questionable expression.

The reason I enjoy the article so much is because I find Birdcloud hard to explain to folks. Their songs can certainly be blunt but there's a pathos to many of them that gets overlooked. A prime example is I Got Problems, a song that appears to be about the celebration of over indulgence but, if you decide to take it seriously, is also be a scathing personal commentary on bad behaviors. Songs like "Indianer" and "Livin' with my Granny" seem like offensive jokes or silly storytelling but if you're familiar with growing up in The South, these songs are accurate portrayals of attitudes, behaviors and experiences from the region.

On the whole, I'm just happy to see them getting some recognition for being more than a throwaway joke. Sure, there's plenty of work there that you wouldn't play for your mother but, underneath it all, there's more than just crass words.