Album Review — Tyler Childers — “Long Violent History” (2020)
By: Brett Dunlap
Tags: Album Review, Long Violent History, 2020, Tyler Childers, Music

Sometimes, saying nothing says everything. Just ask Tyler Childers, who gives life to this mantra on his newest record, the surprise release Long Violent History. While he traditionally dabbles in country and folk too, Childers’ first album since last year’s Country Squire is nothing but brass tacks bluegrass. Yet, the biggest stunner is not how effectively he gets lost in the genre, but how quietly gigantic the risk he takes is. For an album almost absent of lyrics, Long Violent History is shockingly packed with thought-provoking emotion.

We could argue about the two faces of modern country music and the level of authenticity of each, and while born and bred Kentuckian Tyler Childers absolutely differs from the Keith Urbans of the scene, I’ll zip my lip and let you decide what you love and hate about both camps. I’d much rather take this time to argue that with Long Violent History, Childers has crafted a wildly underrated album that is not only the most experimental release a country artist has delivered all year, but in recent history. Why barely any others seem to be heralding the gamble of it perplexes me. Country/folk and hard rock/metal seem to be the red-headed stepchildren of genres getting reviewed by most major publications, but occasionally, an album comes along that is so inventive and line-blurring that it gets its due press. When it comes to country artists, Sturgill Simpson and Kacey Musgraves are two figures that come to mind that fit this bill as of late. Childers seemed poised to join that club, after 2017’s Purgatory and 2019’s Country Squire got attention from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and others, but strangely enough, even publishing solely devoted to country and folk music has stayed quiet about it. Could it be the album’s non-mainstream nature? Possibly. What about its “political” message that has sparked some debate? Maybe. Regardless, neither of these reasons are good enough for me to forgive the widespread dismissing of Long Violent History. Whether it fits in or not and whether it’s politically-charged or not, I genuinely believe this project deserves some credit — and I’m here to help.

I believe Long Violent History is the first album primarily consisting of bluegrass music that I’ve listened to before. Although it very well could be the same for you, do not discredit nor be intimidated by it, because Childers succeeds admirably in making this expansion of a genre an easily digestible one. At nine tracks and under thirty-three minutes long, he doesn’t get too comfortable and overstay his welcome, either. The surprise with this project doesn’t just stop with the concept and execution. Announced not long before its release and accompanied by little fanfare other than a direct, earnest video featuring Tyler himself, Long Violent History was meant to catch listeners off-guard from the beginning. It is rare that an artist attaches an unprompted in-person message free of interview format to their work, and I hope that this action is not criticized. While it could have backfired, to me, Childers uses his short video not just for backstory and reasoning behind LVH, but also to make a well-worded statement on his view of the world during such a volatile time. Given the circumstances that Childers was out of the spotlight prior to the album’s release and has stayed mostly out of it afterwards, his main motive seemed to be taking one healthy chance at using his platform properly — mission accomplished.

Childers as he appears in his YouTube video explaining “Long Violent History” — published on September 18th, 2020.

The music itself on LVH does not bewilder me, change my life, or awaken new truths within me per say, but it does perfectly achieve its goal of forcing me to pause, reflect, and consider. It helps that along the way, it’s an engaging, brief journey of happiness and sadness, too. Generally, the music on Long Violent History runs with a ribbon of melancholy. “Send In The Clowns” welcomes us into a tired, downtrodden world that the solemn, elegiac, follow-up track “Zollie’s Retreat” only bolsters. “Midnight On The Water” is lined with sorrow, yet a twinge of romance flutters throughout. The final instrumental offering, “Bonaparte’s Retreat”, feels as gloomy as it does hopeful, and is a flawless choice to lead into the grand title track. Apart from the emotional lows that take charge on the album, plenty of other feelings get their spotlight. “Squirrel Hunter” is a merry hoot of a dance and “Sludge River Stomp” urges you to clunk your feet, while “Camp Chase” gets your heart racing and the celebratory “Jenny Lynn” puts a smile on your face. Once the surprise of a wordless album rescinds by around the third track, my mind was in gear without an issue, and witnessing how well Childers directs these skilled bluegrass musicians forces you to owe the collective some respect. By the time the last song, which happens to be the titular track, begins, you’d be certain nothing else shocking could come your way (I was). You’d be wrong.

Another hot take incoming: I think the eponymous track on Long Violent History is the best song Childers has written to date. Considering how strong moments on Country Squire, Purgatory, and even Bottles And Bibles (2011) are, I don’t find it to be a stretch, either. Tyler’s voice surfacing after almost thirty minutes of its shocking absence makes for a pure, dramatic, moment you just can’t see coming. Combined with the “wow” factor of his entrance, the songwriting here is drop-dead gut-punching. While no names are named and no events are specified, Childers cunningly tackles world morale, fake news, media influence, white privilege, general uprising, and civil disobedience without a single misstep in just over three minutes. It’s the best take that an artist of country music, a genre known for its conservativism but gradually becoming more vocally diverse, has taken in a long, long time. If Childers was more of a household male name, like Blake Shelton or Jason Aldean, the response would likely be a tense uproar with an aftershock probably lingering still. Because of his growing but still fledgling status, what an album like Long Violent History means to Childers’ mainstream career remains to be seen. However, I will ask: does it really matter? What is more important to Tyler Childers, do you reckon: standing up for what he believes is right, or staying quiet in a time of opportunity? If this question sounds rhetorical, then congratulations, you understand this album remarkably.

If you really love music and you give this record a chance, I feel confident that your time spent will not be a waste. I’ve revisited this album more than once since its release in September and I’ve found more things to enjoy after every consumption. For a project as bold as Long Violent History is, it’s just as entertaining. I’m hoping that Childers continues to make music as heartfelt and intelligent as this one — after all, what’s really stopping him now?

7.5

*In light of the album’s nature, I am foregoing the repeat/skip footnote and urge you to listen to Long Violent History as a whole when you do.