COUNTRY TRAGIC
Lund’s latest batch of original songs explores the humour and sadness of rural life
On the ballad, Never Not Had Horses, Corb Lund tells the story of an aging cowgirl forced with a heartbreaking choice.
“A few left on the place are lame, their ribs are showing, too,” Lund sings. “She knows it ain’t fair to them with winter coming soon.” It’s a beautifully moving if melancholy tale about mortality, the passage of time and fading traditions.
Lund grew up on a farm outside Taber, but spent much of his childhood at a family ranch built by his homesteading great-grandfather near Cardston. The inspiration for Never Not Had Horses arrived quick and direct one day when the singer-songwriter was talking to his mother.
“That’s a special one,” Lund says in an interview from his home in Lethbridge.
“I’ve written a lot of songs about my dad and my grandpas and my uncles and stuff, but that one is about my mom.
“She grew up on the ranch and she had to put down the last couple of horses at the place and she was reflecting that she had never not had horses from the time she was born until that moment.
“As a storyteller and songwriter, my antenna is always up for phrases like that.”
The song fits nicely into what Lund calls Agricultural Tragic, a term he coined to describe the unique brand of storytelling and energetic alt-country twang that fuels his 10 albums. It also happens to be the name of his 10th album, which features a bumper crop of new tales that cover drinking, dancing, heartbreak, country heritage and, of course, horses and other critters. It’s a testament to Lund’s singular vision that he felt the need to create and name his own sub-genre to house his distinct hybrid of styles.
“It doesn’t really fit anywhere else,” Lund says. “There’s a lot of rural themes in our stuff. As for the tragic stuff, a lot of our songs have themes of human frailty and loss in them. Some of them are quite dark and some are more fun. But even with the fun ones, they say comedy is tragedy plus distance. There’s an element of human frailty in most of the tunes.”
The album is Lund’s first batch of original songs in five years and the followup to 2019’s EP of covers called Cover Your Tracks, which found him offering takes on a deliciously eclectic collection of songs that included AC/DC’S Ride On and Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.
But after a bit of a dry spell as a songwriter, Lund suddenly found himself filled with inspiration and far more songs than space for his next record. So he whittled down the tracklist to 12 that cover a variety of themes, tones and styles.
“I went through a slump for a couple years,” Lund says.
“I didn’t want to do the same thing. For a year or two, I was really drifting. Then for whatever reason, we got a real burst of energy, maybe because we had been away from it for a while. I wrote way more songs than I usually do and picked the best ones. The band spent way more time rehearsing and getting the songs right.
“There’s a real energy to it. It’s one of my favourites.”
The ballad Louis L’amour turns a tribute to the legendary western novelist into a mournful lament for simpler times. Lead-off track 90 Seconds of Your Time is a charging rocker about a revenge-minded mountain guide out for blood after his three mules and a horse go missing.
Old Men is a direct and reverent nod to the manly men who tend to populate Lund’s storytelling.
On the fun side, Lund offers Rat Patrol, a fairly straightforward country-blues singalong that calls for the full-scale elimination of rodents. Tattoos Blues explores the possible regrets involved in permanently marking one’s skin with poorly thought out words or imagery.
I Think You Oughta Try Whiskey is an old-school salty duet with Canadian country singer Jaida Dreyer, in which a couple’s differing opinions on libations may reveal a deeper divide.
“It’s natural for me to cope with the horrors of life with humour,” Lund says with a laugh.
“I think it’s important for a record to take you on a bit of a journey. There’s nothing that bores me more than 12 songs from a person that are all mid-tempo relationship songs.
“I like a record that has some sad songs, some fun songs, some breakup songs. I like a mix. That’s what I do with my shows, too. I think it’s important to take them on an emotional journey.
“Plus, sad songs sound even sadder when they are bookended by something lighter. It’s like a painting: the blacks look blacker when they are surrounded by whites.”
Stylistically, Lund has always maintained a certain edge to his sound that delivers an added gallop to his uptempo numbers.
This might be due to the unusual musical detour he took in his journey from a country boy living a rural life to country songwriter singing about rural life.
From 1989 to 2001, Lund was the bassist for hard-working Edmonton road warriors The Smalls, an act that specialized in shifting tempos, brainy riffs and hardcore fury. The band reunited for a tour in 2014. While his current sound is miles away from his former band, Lund never lost his punk-rock vibes and attitude.
Still, he is apparently enough of a traditionalist to have earned an invitation to country music’s most iconic stage.
After the COVID-19 pandemic led to Lund cancelling his spring tour (the album was initially set to be released in April), the plan is to kick off his American dates on Aug. 29 with his debut at the Grand Ole Opry in Music City. A Canadian tour is scheduled for November.
“I’ve spent a lot of time in Nashville and played a lot of shows but I’ve never played the Grand Ole Opry,” he says.
“I’m kind of unusual. My stuff is a little wacky. So it’s extra cool that they asked me to play.”
I like a record that has some sad songs, some fun songs, some breakup songs. I like a mix. That’s what I do with my shows, too.