Emmett Drueding's "Tightrope Walker" Can't Be Contained To Just One Space
Emmett Drueding, a local singer-songwriter with folksy overtones and an eclectic energy, can’t easily be defined to one sound or genre. His latest full-length release, Tightrope Walker, is difficult to classify. On a first listen, this album is an experimental take on a very simple idea, the indie concept album. There are moments of instrumentation only, caterwauling vocals, intimate guitars, and junk-drawer found-sounds.
However, what gives this album depth is how Drueding is able to tastefully implement all of these seemingly-colliding ideas into one artful, effervescent album.
Emmett Drueding, photo courtesy of the artist
Tighrope Walker plays on a wide range of styles, all grounded within a surreal theme. If you think a track is going to be an easy listen - think again. Drueding will throw something unexpected at you, whether it’s a vibraphone or a steel drum or a wild 12-string guitar solo, there will be something flashy that could only possibly work on this album. There are weepy ballads, rollicking, jaunty country tracks, and quietly beautiful instrumental moments. This album truly has a little bit of everything. You cannot pin it down in one spot. It won’t let you.
Along with the varying styles, Drueding also recruited a lot of local musicians to fill in the gaps on these tracks. There are a lot of notable Philly artists featured throughout the album, which only aids to making this eclectic project feel truly chaotic (in the best way, I promise). Harry Metz (Rolled Gold, Boogie Mandela, The Deuce Tres), John Hildenbrand (Kalob Griffin Band, Stereo League), and Nero Catalona (Work Drugs, 722, Andrew Lipke) are among the featured talent.
I love concept albums, and thematically, there are a lot of overarching ideas within the lyrics of a lot of these songs. “When Jazz Dies” is a great one to pinpoint. Of the track, Drueding says “The lyrics generally view technology and consumerism as detrimental to human culture and the natural world. But they also sympathize with the idea that significant change occurs over generations, not within a lifetime – it takes a little while, as the narrator reminds himself.”
This is an album that, in my opinion, is meant to be listened to from start to finished. No skips. Drueding has a complex story to tell, and beneath all of the at-odds instrumentation and experimental noise is a core theme that revolves around the idea of change and humanity. Drueding came up with all but one of these tracks in 2016 after his father, guitarist Richard Drueding, passed away, and I think that time of reflection and introspection shines through this album.