Hell Among the Yearlings

 (58 customer reviews)

I saw Gillian Welch & David Rawlings a month ago at the Fillmore in San Francisco. At the time, I'd purchased the "O'Brother" soundtrack, and "Revelator" cause I liked her voice so darn much from that Cohen Bro's film sndtrk. So I go over to the merch booth, look for a tee, dissapointingly don't see any, but there, lying on the table in front of me is the "holy trilogy", if you will.I only had enough to buy one cd. Out of complete random choosing, I picked up "Hell Among the Yearlings". And here I am, having this cd for the little while that was, and it is absolutely one of my favorite albums of all time. Whereas, I can honestly say, "Revival" and "Revelator" both have a few much stronger individual songs, this album can be heard front to back without missing a beat. It is a complete sonic experience within itself. Unlike her other two albums, Welch opens this masterpiece with the heavy hitting "Caleb Meyer", a tale of rape and revenge that immediately lays the foundation for...Read more

Being somewhat snobby when it comes to music, it is a rare treat to find a real artist out there that can really speak to me. Gillian Welch is one of few that have struck me so deeply. As great as "Revival" is, I think this album is even better. The thing I like the most about it is its consistent theme of melancholy and woe; yet it is completely unpretentious and genuinely moving. The first album "Revival" (aptly named) embraces different moods (which is a great thing in itself), but this album absolutely grabs me and doesn't let go. For me, the absolute standouts are (although EVERY track is very strong--no throwaways here!) are "My Morphine", "Miner's Refrain", "I'm Not Afraid To Die", "Caleb Meyer", "Rock Of Ages", and "Whiskey Girl" (I know, that's most of them). The purity of her vocals, and the absolute perfection of the precise harmony vocals, coupled with the crisp playing (pretty much...Read more

As every review you're likely to read will tell you, the subject matter of these songs is as dark as the sepia tones on the album's cover photo. But there is a danger of making too much of that and of not really getting it in right perspective.We can compare Welch and her partner David Rawlings with The Handsome Family, whose _Through the Trees_ also deals with dark material. The Handsome Family uses melodies and instrumentation that sound traditional, but combines these with surreal prose poetry whose images are far from the ones the melodies lead you to expect. The result is music that subverts the form it uses and leaves the listener profoundly disoriented. This is neither better nor worse than what Welch does, but the emotional effect is very different. Listening to The Handsome Family can be viscerally disturbing; I can only do it in small doses. Welch's subject matter is depressing, but that doesn't describe the result. The musical form and the poetry are matc! hed. A song...Read more