Music Reviews
Apr-May 2004
Music of the West
Sing and Swing
By Hugh McLennan
Corb Lund
Modern Pain, Corb Lund Band Music
 Given the success of Lund’s 2003 release, Five Dollar Bill, which garnered him a Juno nomination, it only made sense to dig into the vaults and issue another set of material as a buffer between releases for the Stony Plain label.
Vivid images of everything from wind-swept rodeo grounds and weathered and worn characters are bound by Lund’s cleverly crafted observations, all delivered with a cadence that is distinctly his own.
Culled from impossible-to-find post-Smalls releases and live dates, Modern Pain finds Lund musing about sleaze balls, weariness, and life on life’s terms, in a skeletal musical framework that is a perfect setting for the subject matter.
Slinky guitar lines prime tempos that can delve heavily into talking blues territory, while drums and bass push the ride effectively on pieces like “Evil In Me”, “You and Your Creeping”, and “Untitled Waltz”.
While Lund’s vocals aren’t as uniformly impressive as those on Five Dollar Bill, one can’t dispute the fact that his exceptional elocution brings home the goods every time, and is an integral component to his success as a storyteller and modern day troubadour.
The disc closes with three live cover tunes that directly link Lund to his influences. His interpretation of Stompin’ Tom’s “Hockey Song”, complete with Oiler references, is a hoot, and he slides into Merle Travis’s “Sixteen Tons” with obvious reverence before calling it a night with the timeless Waylon Jennings tune “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?”
While you won’t find this one in the stores, it’s worth snagging at a Lund show or inquiring about at his website. www.corblundband.com
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