Daughn Gibson

All Hell (White Denim)

On paper, Gibson’s combination of traditional country samples and electronics might appear ham-fisted. Well-worn lyrical imagery culled from the lonesome roads and hard-living country crooners of yore would be threadbare if not for the keenly sampled and looped instrumentation bolstering them. Gibson avoids awkward genre mash-ups with memorable vocal melodies and a knack for seamlessly matching timbres of the traditional and contemporary on the album’s early standout tracks, “In the Beginning” and “Tiffany Lou.” By the title track at album’s end, the typewriter percussion, synth fills, and Gibson’s deeply echoing voice owe more to Scott Walker’s darkly experimental output than anything from Johnny Cash. These widening strides away from the source material informing All Hell‘s opening tracks may be downward toward fire-and-brimstone, but they’re by no means musical missteps. (Fri., 9:20pm, Cheer Up Charlie’s; Sat., 8:30pm, Club de Ville.)

***.5

This article appears in June 1 • 2012.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US

James graduated from Columbia University in 2000 and moved to Austin a year later. Ever since, he has followed the arts and video game scene in ATX, editing and writing stories for the Chronicle along the way. Over his more than 20 years with the paper he has climbed the "corporate" ladder from lowly intern to managing editor.