{"product_id":"william-tyler-modern-country","title":"William Tyler - Modern Country","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIncluded in:\u003cbr\u003e-\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.magnetmagazine.com\/2016\/12\/21\/magnets-4-album-of-2016-william-tylers-modern-country\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eMagnet's Top Albums of 2016\u003c\/a\u003e (#4)\u003cbr\u003e-\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/country\/lists\/40-best-country-albums-of-2016-w452950\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eRolling Stone Country's Best Country Albums of 2016\u003c\/a\u003e (#37)\u003cbr\u003e-\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/apps.npr.org\/best-music-2016\/list\/top-songs\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eNPR Top Songs of 2016\u003c\/a\u003e (#76 \"Highway Anxiety\")\u003cbr\u003e-\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.allmusic.com\/year-in-review\/2016\/allmusic-best-of-2016\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAllMusic's Best of 2016\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.aquariumdrunkard.com\/2016\/12\/12\/aquarium-drunkard-2016-year-in-review\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eAquarium Drunkard's 2016 Year in Review\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/entertainment\/archive\/2016\/12\/our-favorite-31-songs-of-2016\/510773\/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eThe Atlantic's Favorite Songs of 2016\u003c\/a\u003e (\"The Great Unwind\")\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.allmusic.com\/year-in-review\/2016\/allmusic-best-of-2016\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eModern Country\u003c\/i\u003e is the fourth full-length album by guitarist and composer \u003cstrong\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/collections\/william-tyler\"\u003eWilliam Tyler\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e and his first recorded outside of his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. It features an ensemble backing group consisting of multi-instrumentalist Phil Cook (\u003ca href=\"\/collections\/hiss-golden-messenger\"\u003eHiss Golden Messenger\u003c\/a\u003e, Blind Boys of Alabama), bassist Darin Gray (Tweedy, Jim O’Rourke), and percussionist Glenn Kotche (Wilco). The album was tracked at April Base Studios in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and finished in Nashville, recorded and mixed by Jon Ashley, and produced by Tyler and Brad Cook.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWhile there is never a comfort zone in instrumental music, Tyler attempts to leave any perceived one behind with \u003ci\u003eModern Country\u003c\/i\u003e. His first album for Merge, 2013’s \u003ca href=\"\/products\/william-tyler-impossible-truth\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eImpossible Truth\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, found Tyler exploring the boundaries of composition for solo guitar in a manner that paid homage to everyone from Leo Kottke to Brian Wilson. It was an epic song cycle that veered from cathedral-like psychedelic hymns to pastoral folk melodies. In contrast, \u003ci\u003eModern Country \u003c\/i\u003efinds Tyler exploring more focused melodic themes rather than ethereal wanderings. These aren’t pop songs, per se, but they are closer in spirit to Neu!, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, and Bill Frisell.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ePrimarily written while Tyler was on sabbatical in Oxford, Mississippi, where he stayed at the cabin of a family friend within a stone’s throw of William Faulkner’s house, \u003ci\u003eModern Country\u003c\/i\u003e is a collection of songs about the vanishing America that still exists on back roads, in small towns, on AM radio stations. In an election year when so many certainties and assurances have vanished, Tyler doesn’t offer optimism or pessimism but rather a calm and measured commentary in our age of anxiety.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont style=\"color: red; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;\" color=\"red\"\u003eLP includes a coupon for a full download\u003c\/font\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"merge records","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":52739206316343,"sku":"MRG545LP","price":21.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":52739206283575,"sku":"MRG545CD","price":14.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Download","offer_id":52739206349111,"sku":"MRG545digital","price":6.93,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0966\/3935\/3143\/files\/7edad2d700457607906fe0f27ae43b8551d4ba3a_7990978ff950da834e8d6e3078228a2b84559340_medium_jpg.jpg?v=1785381138","url":"https:\/\/mergerecords.com\/products\/william-tyler-modern-country","provider":"Merge Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}