Tyler: Danny, I was late to Sturgill Simpson. You were not, and you advised me to give him a listen some long time before I stumbled across a startlingly-affordable vinyl copy of Simpson’s second LP, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music. With that, I finally gave the man that listen. Of course it was rewarding—Sturgill is a musical polymath with not one subpar album to his name—and I believe you were pleased that I’d finally joined the fun.
It was then, or not long after, that you encouraged me to savor Simpson’s fourth release, SOUND & FURY. I did my homework, supplementing a confused early listen with further plays, each of which revealed something more to fall for, complexities and simplicities alike within the rough fabric of Simpson’s musical apocalypse. The design stitches the songs together, each break a slash of dashboard-radio static, and the release was even accompanied by an animated Netflix film; amidst the concept, though, Simpson blessedly doesn’t lose the plot. Licks and hooks and irresistible lyrics fill S&F, top to bottom, backed by a band that bring fire to every performance. It is one hell of a departure from the artist’s work to that date, and nothing he’s produced since sounds much like it at all, so it stands alone and tall amidst the earthier flavors Simpson tends to favor. Coming after a Grammy-nominated third release, the terrific and quite romantic A Sailor’s Guide To Earth, SOUND & FURY kicked down a door that’d shielded us previously from this especially dark corner of Simpson’s psyche. You were hip to it before me, Danny, and, as noted, you guided me properly in its direction. Now, I absolutely fucking love it. I have you to thank, and so, with a grand welcome to you on behalf of this humble site/blog, I ask you, how’d you come to S&F? What about it grabbed your lapel right outta the gate?
Danny: First of all Tyler, I really appreciate you giving me the opportunity to chat about an album and artist I am a huge fan of. You and I have known each other since freshman year of college, meeting as it were in a very small class (maybe 4 people) called Writing About Music. Here we are some 25 years later writing back and forth to each other about music. Life is funny like that, and I am very thankful to have a friend like you who I can share my thoughts with about one of the subjects I am most passionate about.
As far as Sturgill Simpson and SOUND & FURY go…
Here’s the deal. I liked Sturgill Simpson quite a bit before I ever knew he could play the absolute fuck out of a guitar, but he absolutely can. That changes the level of like as far as I’m concerned. I originally heard about him from my cousin’s brother-in-law who told me I had better check out this new country act who was tearing it up. So I did, and he was right. Sturgill has a kind of magnetism about him and his early stuff had familiar classic country vibes with a new age sensibility about it. He’s a great songwriter and you can tell that from the jump no matter where you start in his catalog. Since I kind of started from the beginning I was under the impression that he would be taking the path of your traditional country crooners, which is a pretty cool thing to be honest with you.
Then I heard him live for the 3rd time at a little blues and barbecue festival in the middle of Missouri. The previous 2 times I had seen him he was with larger bands, one of them featuring a pretty kick ass brass section, and he was playing acoustic guitar and singer in his signature style. This time he was with a 4 piece country jam band and he was the sole man on guitar. Once they got going, if I closed my eyes I could swear Jimi Hendrix was right in front of me shredding his guitar up. I was floored. That’s when I knew Sturgill was something truly special and I’d better start really paying attention. I knew his next release would be something different and exciting. His next release was SOUND & FURY.
The thing that strikes me the most about this album every time I listen to it is the rhythm. Every song moves. That’s always what you want, right? That’s what makes this stuff so compelling to me. And speaking of compelling, there is a lick, riff, or run on every single song on this album that fits that description. Mostly on guitar, but sometimes synthesizer, and often times both. I am an absolute sucker for a great guitar album and this is one of those. It’s always the first thing I notice and on the opening track “Ronin” the guitar is absolutely rip-roaring from the jump. It’s a hell of a way to start what could be described as a concept album. I am still not quite sure what the concept is, but “Ronin” sure feels like the start to an epic journey. And it is. The transitions from song to song are stark and well executed. Each song feels like its own character study and the spread of stylistic exploration on this album is really mind-boggling. Some of the songs are danceable, almost country disco. Some just straight up rock. But weirdly I would argue that every single one maintains itself as fully country in a way that only Sturgill could pull off.
I know you briefly mentioned the Netflix animated film that was released in conjunction with this album, but I feel like we could spend an entire day delving into this by itself. It’s a story written by Sturgill and directed/produced by real deal anime badasses. If anyone out there is reading this and hasn’t seen the film yet I highly recommend carving out an hour of your free time and indulging in a distraction free viewing. Each song gets its own visual interpretation and they are all loosely related. The setting is a really cool futuristic steampunk anime creation that is quite stunning and really helps contextualize the concept of the album that I find so elusive otherwise.
I love reading that you gave the album multiple listens before it really connected with you. I have had the same experience with so many of my favorite albums as well. I am curious what finally made the connection for you.
Tyler: If memory serves, the nugget that first stuck with me, to my bafflement, was the alien world of “Sing Along,” the third track here on S&F. “Ronin” and “Remember To Breathe” exceptionally set the table, but suddenly here on “Sing Along” is our man Sturgill diving into obsessive heartbreak over a damn near danceable beat, weaving in those synths, lending the song an unsettling sheen that works to aural perfection. Plus, in one of my most beloved lyrical turns on the entire album, he unfurls a climactic “Tell ’em to carve my name in the barstool, baby, you know I’m gonna be here awhile.” Choice.
Now, this is not to rank “Sing Along” above “Ronin” or “Remember To Breathe,” or, for that matter, any other selection on SOUND & FURY. I’m a little soft on “All Said and Done,” reminding me as it does of the burdensome nü-half-metal balladry that plagued rock radio in the late ’90s into the 2000s. Sturgill’s work ain’t in the same galaxy as that kind of garbage–-his strident vocals alone elevate the song above those predecessors—and “All Said and Done” needs to be here for the sake of the album, its rhythm and rumble. It just doesn’t thrill me like pretty much every other track here. “Make Art Not Friends,” an exhausted ode to creative solitude; “A Good Look,” taking to task musical acts boasting too much attitude and not enough invention; “Best Clockmaker on Mars” just kicking all manner of ass. The list goes on—there’s no bullshit and a lot of taking names on SOUND & FURY, and in some ways the album overall might be my favorite Sturgill release, or at least the one to which I return most frequently. I mean, on “Mercury In Retrograde” he takes down the “haters wishing they was in my band,” throwing in a sublime “Sorry, boys, the bus is plum full.” Hot damn, I love this album.
Danny, it’s a pleasure to have you leaping into the Loom fray, and a galactic blessing to after all these years call you a dear friend. Writing About Music was a cathartic gift of a course, on so many levels. A couple decades and loose change down the road, we’re here indeed to link our thoughts together for the sake of our readers–we love you all!–and maybe, perhaps, to discover and describe action in the art we love. Hats off to you, buddy, and welcome aboard.
Thoughts on where you’d rank SOUND & FURY in the pantheon of Sturgill Simpson’s work? I noted above that it’s possibly at the top of my list, rivaled principally by Passage Du Desir, his 2024 LP, released under the moniker Johnny Blue Skies. The rest of the catalog is so rewarding, though, Sturgill never fucking around, producing plaudit-worthy music with the reliability of an atomic clock. He’s up there in the modern inner circle of artists I trust.
Plus, I saw him live on his Why Not? tour behind Passage Du Desir and got deliriously pummeled by a 3.5-hour five-piece onslaught of pure rock nirvana. Top-five lifetime concert. Stratospheric.
Danny: I’d put SOUND & FURY at #1 with a bullet, which is saying something because he only pumps out solid gold. But it’s the FURY bit that seals it for me. Nothing else he has done contains this kind of raw power, refined as it may be. It’s funny you mention “All Said and Done” because upon more and more listens the brief guitar solo in that song demonstrates the kind of power I’m talking about perfectly, though I agree the song itself has a little bit of reminiscent balladry to it. This album just has all of the focused rocking vibes I am drawn to. Even when he slows down the pace he does so in a very controlled and intentional way, “Make Art Not Friends” being a very good example. It just feels like an immensely talented musician at the height of his powers to me.
Seeing something live certainly does put it in clear perspective and make it real. This tour, featuring Tyler Childers as a co-headliner, got canceled and rescheduled 3 times due to Covid before they pulled the plug for good. Covid robbed me and a dozen or so of my closest friends and family (and hundreds of thousands of other kind souls) the opportunity to experience this one multiple times and I’m still pretty sore about it to be real honest. That would have been a party for sure.
Tyler: That’s tough right there. The world lost a year of live music thanks to the damn pandemic. Incidentally, it of course ain’t the same as being in the room, but Sturgill recently posted his entire Why Not? and subsequent Who The Fuck Is Johnny Blue Skies? tours on Nugs.net. Dozens of shows, pristine audio quality, most topping three hours. It’s a listener’s miracle.
Not unlike SOUND & FURY. Man, this one was such a pleasure to discover. As noted, I love Passage Du Desir, as of August ’25 his most recent LP, but who knows what could be next from the artist once known as Sturgill. Johnny Blue Skies, take it away.
Writers' Loom 