McCauley's War Elephant reminiscent of Hank Williams Sr.

New album is actually a re-release.

By Tom Carbone

Published Nov. 13, 2008

It all began one cold winter in 2004 - John McCauley, aka Deer Tick, locked himself into his bedroom in Providence, R.I., with a full bottle of brandy and Hank Williams Sr.'s Gold Collection. In this bedroom, an epiphany occurred for McCauley, and a few short months later he found himself touring around the country.

A lifestyle like this is quite hectic, especially for someone as young as McCauley. At the ripe young age of 18, he began to tour in support of the songs he was howling in his bedroom. With two full years of touring under his belt, the then 20-year-old released War Elephant in late 2007, but is now re-issuing the record on Partisan Records. The new release features a limited edition double vinyl and CD coupled with its new album artwork.

McCauley's uniquely pinched croon is spine-tingling - his voice cannot be overlooked. On the opening track "Ashamed," McCauley claims, "I am the boy your mother wanted you to meet."

"Ashamed" is a folksy acoustic piece that really sets a precedent for the rest of the record. His gritty-yet-fluid voice seems to be fully developed on this song, despite his young age. The lyrics, however, are a tad juvenile. This could be intentional, but it could also just be a result of his youth. There is no reason to complain about the lyrics, though, as they put across messages and ideas in ways that fully trained poets and musicians sometimes cannot do.

The Hank Williams in McCauley starts to shine with the second track, "Art Isn't Real (City of Sin)." A seemingly depressed McCauley states, "I gotta get drunk now/I gotta forget about some things." As he yells, a string section begins, and the song continues. The song is beautiful, despite its lyrical content. Ol' Hank has taught him well, but hopefully McCauley doesn't end up like him.

McCauley's pattern of drunken rambles and experiences changes with "Spend The Night," a poppy, upbeat tune about love that again can be directly compared to Hank Williams when he was performing more pop-influenced tunes. "Spend the night in my arms/I'll keep you tight, I'll keep you warm," McCauley promises. Even if you don't have McCauley in person to do this, the record will suffice; He's that talented.

Despite playing all of the instruments on War Elephant himself, he has now recruited two other full-time members to the band he tours and records with. This doesn't change the live show at all, but it remains to be seen what this will do to studio recordings.

Granted, if you've never listened to John McCauley before, don't expect to be in love with him after the first spin. These songs and his voice will grow on you much like Joanna Newsom's did. Or even Conor Oberst's. His voice isn't bad, but it's certainly unconventional.