Rock
'n' roll has its artists and its craftsmen. Will Johnson has always come across
as the latter: For the past 11 years, the Texan songsmith has built a sturdy
catalogue using grit, bits of twang, and whatever rusty implements were hanging
from his tool belt. Apart from the occasional solo album, Johnson has recorded
with the barebones combo Centro-Matic and the loosely orchestral South San
Gabriel. Aside from being a hard-working guy, there's no particular reason he
hammered together the new full-lengths from the two projects to form the hefty Dual
Hawks. There's no
overarching concept, no epic narrative—just a double dose of great Will
Johnson tunes.
Of
course, "great" in Johnson terms means coarse, corroded scorchers like "The Rat
Patrol And DJs," the opener of Centro-Matic's side of Dual Hawks. "Remind Us Alive" taps into a
Magnolia Electric Co. vibe with its gnarled roots and classic-rock quotation
marks, while "I, The Kite" tracks mud all over a hangdog pop hook.
Surprisingly—or maybe not, considering his inherent stiffness as a
songwriter—Johnson pounds more pathos and dynamism out of his blocky rock
band than he does the sprawling palette of musicians in South San Gabriel. His
voice as whispery as sandpaper, he cracks sad smiles on "Kept On The Sly" and
tangles with cello and viola on "Trust To Lose"—two of the more
approachable songs on SSG's dour, drifting side of the equation. The halves of Dual
Hawks might not
match up exactly, but together, they make for another solid Johnson
construction.