The Wallflowers - Bringing Down the Horse (1996)
Maybe it was a good thing that The Wallflower’s 1992 self-titled debut was a commercial disappointment; maybe it was a good thing that most of the band departed in the aftermath of their label dropping them, but it would have been a difficult crossroads. Most bands might have just called it a day, saying that they had made a solid effort but that it was time to grow up and do something real. The very fact that they had made a major label album in impressive enough, so bowing out then would have certainly been a very logical choice, and not at all dishonorable. Of course, no such towel was thrown. Thank God!
Opting to take the ever uncertain path to second chances, Jakob Dylan and Rami Jaffee decided to continue instead of quite, thereby rebuilding the band from the ground up. During this lengthy four year process, grunge waned and alt-rock ascended, launching bands like Cracker, Gin Blossoms, and Counting Crows into the spotlight. At this point, the band satiated its depleted ranks and refashioned itself as a dark yet driving force on the roots side of alt-rock, shedding the laborious-to-love twang soaked nuances of The Wallflowers without sacrificing the heart and soul of the songs. In essence, they cut the gamey fat and polished the meat, all the while honing their craft. The Wallflowers didn’t really change their sound; they just refined it.
Of course, none of this would have mattered had it not paid off, but it did, and the result was Bringing Down the Horse (1996), a true 90s classic that wore the rare double badge of “well deserved” and “well received,” not to mention it being a beacon for second chances and embodying the antithesis of the sophomore slump. All in all, the album just works, providing a definitive album for the genre, decade, and band (even if it might not be their best). Every track on the album is excellent and accessible (in the good way), meaning that Horse works both as a list of its parts and a sum of its parts, which is in no way obscured by the four juggernaut singles it produced. The success of the rambling yet miraculously well executed “6th Avenue Heartache” and “Three Marlenas” is well deserved, and the rocking “The Difference” is no doubt one of the band’s finest moments, but it’s the flawless “One Headlight” where it’s clear everything just clicked. That song alone could propel any album, but The Wallflowers were more than able to justify the single’s massive impact, because the rest of the album is pure gold. Other standouts include the mid tempo “Bleeders,” the rocking “Angel on my Bike” and the ethereal “Invisible City.” Despite the album’s varied musical tapestries, the lyrical themes conjure darker tones and imagery; a place where Dylan has always seemed comfortable. And while their debut felt like an objective storybook, Horse feels oddly personal, channeling ghosts of the past to incredibly moving vignettes. Despite the noir subject matter, nothing is forced, but instead canonized, as it is ultimately timeless.
By most accounts, Bringing Down the Horse is the true beginning for The Wallflowers (but their self-title debut is still relevant and quite impressive). It did more then just put them on the musical map, it blew up the map. And while the band has produced subsequent material that is arguably superior in both quality and ambition, they have not been able to replicate Horse’s commercial success or impact, meaning that this album will be their primary marker on the musical globe, and you could certainly do worse. Bringing Down the Horse is arguably the best folk-rock album of the 90s; let’s just hope that Jakob et al. have, by now, found it in their dark hearts to pat themselves on the back for this truly sterling accomplishment.
4.5/5
"This invisible city / Where no one sees nothing / We're touching faces in the dark / Feelin' pretty is so hard"
McS
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