One of the things that you should treasure the most is your ability to laugh during hard times. Not a lot of people will tell you this. Not fear-mongering politicians, not fire-and-brimstone preachers, and, nowadays, not even your beloved rockstars.
Sure, it doesn’t take a scientist or geopolitical analyst to measure the trouble the world has been going through over the past few years and conclude that we’re all in a bit of a pickle. Sure, that’s enough to inform a lot of negative emotions. And, yes, musicians can’t help but be influenced by that general feeling. But is there anyone brave enough to smile through it all?
Jordan Wilson Coalition’s earnest, trad-rock collection of songs housed on the “Weathered” EP is a kind of optimism manifesto. Sure, these songs are about headaches, loss, and music studios getting flooded. But, once the power turns on, there’s no reason to stop believing that playing music with your friends can’t solve many of them.
Like ol’ Keith Richard said, there’s no problem that a guitar can’t fix, and if, indeed, it can’t, it wasn’t a problem to begin with. That’s the attitude that the EP’s opener “Used To” works with. This is a song about love found and lost again, but damn if the chugging, Stonesy riffs don’t make this sound like a fiesta.
Yeah, in fact, you can call the EP a party held just after the proverbial storms. “I Can’t,” slow-paced and rocked back and forth by reverb-soaked surf-rock guitar, is a song of longing but one that includes nuggets of hope. And “Bittersweet Goodbye” feels like the accompaniment to a walk in the park on a Summer morning, with the Saturday night breakup slowly fading from memory.
Where does it all leave us? Broken, bent, but relentlessly chasing dreams. “Will You Be Mine” is the EP’s strongest moment, an effortless bluesy groove led by a voice crying out for better love and better days. Finally, the EP’s closer, “Now,” delivers the final call: “I want you now/I’ve earned the right to be selfish.” There’s a reward for people who carry on the road even when the lights go out. We know it, and Jordan Wilson does as well.
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