Albums by this artist

Unpacking My Library (2002)

Currituck Co.

Unpacking My Library

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» LILY KANE | STAFF WRITER

Currituck Co. Unpacking My Library Teenbeat, 2002 RiYL: Aden, Clem Snide, Seam

Unpacking My Library is the first solo album from Aden's lead guitar player Kevin Barker. As Barker's been described as both a "guitar god" and a "guitar prodigy," all for good reason, folks might not be prepared for the gentle hand of this gorgeous debut. "Guitar god" is usually reserved for chops in the vein of Clapton or Hendrix, and, as Currituck Co., Barker subscribes more to the Clarence White/Carter Family school of "guitar god." His effortless-sounding fingerpicking and banjo playing dribble throughout the album in rivulets of pop confection about all your standard love, loss and loneliness motifs.

Barker's songwriting runs the narrow gamut from diminutively self-effacing in a appealing way ("I can't tell mockery from a joke / And I don't care a bit") to suggestive in a deadpan way ("Will you be my anti-Christ / Will you be my savior / Will you see past my mistakes / And my bad behavior") to a downright lovely turn of phrase ("In the Texas summer heat speech slows down to a drawl / In the Texas summer heat motion slows down to a crawl"). Barker has almost no range as a singer -- but hey, that never stopped, say, Mac McCaughan from putting a dozen or so good years under his belt. Plus, he's obviously comfortable in his delivery and whispers and wallows in the experience of his lyrics. The Coctails' Mark Greenberg recorded Unpacking My Library, and also adds vibraphone and melodica to the album, Eddie Carlson adds bass.

I imagine that people will draw heavily from their Aden lexicon to talk about this album, i.e., "it's adorable pop sung by adorable boys." It would be a mistake, though, to underestimate Barker's individuality as a recording artist and the wealth of influences he's drawing from on this album. Taking firm hold of the steering wheel, he fluently executes the vocals, guitars, banjoes, drums, and (who could forget) the marimba on his first solo effort. In his press for the album he dubs it "the first country rock album in 30 years," and, while I'd take issue on that in a hot second, he is in fact forging new ground in the somewhat unholy territory of twangy indie pop. Acting as the best of all possible post-modernists, he studied his history hard enough to know how to emulate it, then he made it entirely his own sound. Unpacking My Library is reminiscent without being derivative, and honestly tender without being sappy, like those late night conversations where you find yourself saying everything you meant to say, and meaning it.

LILY KANE |