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January 2012
November 2011
Bledsoe: Ridgway's world a little lighter in 'Neon' By Wayne Bledsoe Friday, August 20, 2010 "Neon Mirage," Stan Ridgway (A440) Stan Ridgway's world has always been a slightly spooky place. His songs can be a mixture of Jim Thomp-son novel, Ennio Morricone sound-track and Walt Disney-like whimsy - well, the sort of whimsy that Disney might have had if he had awakened with a hangover in a cheap motel on the outskirts of some dingy little nowhere town and decided the experience could be the jumping-off point for a fine family film. Ridgway's music is lovable, dark, sweet and strange. Ridgway's latest disc, "Neon Mirage," tells fewer stories, but seems as heartfelt and honest as anything he's created. While the songs were being written, Ridgway lost both his father and a beloved uncle. And, Amy Farris, who played violin on the disc, committed suicide before the album was completed. Questions of mortality and immortality definitely figure into the new songs. "Halfway There" is a surprisingly straightforward musing on knowing you're closer to the end of life than the beginning. Ridgway's cover of Bob Dylan's ballad "Lenny Bruce" is simple, elegiac and glides along with some beautiful violin work from Farris. And the album is bookended by "Big Green Tree," a tune that wonders about finding a home either in this life or the hereafter, and "Day Up in the Sun," a satisfied look back on a good life. Ironically, the album feels more optimistic than earlier discs. While these songs are an easy entry for novices into Ridgway's quirky universe, the Ridgway hallmarks still abound , including a loungey electronic keyboard mixing with the steel guitar on "Like a Wanderin' Star" (a number that sounds a little like an existential cowboy song); and a twangy instrumental harkens back to Ridgway's former band Wall of Voodoo. "Neon Mirage" lacks the wild tales and dark humor that made his last studio album "Snakebite: Blacktop Ballads and Fugitive Songs" so entertaining, but it's good to hear a different, maybe more raw, side of Ridgway.
NPR Interview link click HERE
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