Bad at Breaking Up is a compilation of B-sides, 7″ tracks, and rarities from the almost-defunct country band DRAG THE RIVER. As the album’s title cleverly states, the band’s having trouble keeping apart, which is by no means a bad thing.

Many bands play country-influenced music; many, many bands. But Bad at Breaking Up is a country album, and If you were in your car, frantically twisting your FM dial for a good song or two, DRAG THE RIVER would sound at home sandwiched between GEORGE STRAIGHT and GARTH BROOKS. Their biggest strong suit is they own up to country roots. They don’t beef-up their sound with harshly distorted guitars, or guttural yells, oppressing and belittling the settling, front-porch feel of their music; nor do they hide behind a guise of ironically self-aware country lyrics. They’re just a pleasing country band that doesn’t put an alternative in front of their genre-label to feel secure.

Much of Bad at Breaking Up lacks percussion, which makes it an especially relaxing release. The song “Return” features vocalist Jon Snodgrass singing over a tinny, lo-fi recorder; no band, he just sings and strums, his voice a meld between Nebraska-era BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and DAN TYMINSKI, whose breezy bluegrass twang lead THE SOGGY BOTTOM BOYS in the “O Brother Where Art Thou.” The song is swallowed by crickets chirping far in the back ground, and a light breeze churning past his microphone. The natural sounds don’t sound like a studio effect, which makes me think Snodgrass actually recorded “Return” on a late-night stoop that opened up to falling hills and tall trees, the perfect backdrop for his music.

While Bad at Breaking Up is as cozy as a fireplace, the lyrics are rarely warm and pleasent. Despite the homey electric-slide guitar that wanders throughout “Get Over It or Get It Over With,” the song’s lyrics are conflicted and sad. The song is about a person irritated by his friend’s suicide attempt, and the survivor’s inability to get on and leave the incident in the past: “I know you’ve been hurting / hard to be your friend / flattery it gets you no where / it ain’t all about you / can’t you just get over it or get it over with.” The song left me haunted and confused, wondering is the song’s character really telling his friend to commit suicide? Or is it a meaningless, angry outburst from a person frustrated with his friend’s stagnancy? The line could be interpreted in many ways, yet it is focused and unambiguous. I wonder if Snodgrass has tried his hand at writing a novel…

Bad at Breaking Up isn’t without its flaws, but missteps are due to inherent difficulties in making a compilation album, and are not a faulting of the band’s material. Because the album was assembled from songs spanning the band’s career, the album lacks a start to finish dramatic structure, as well as varying degrees of emotion and intensity. There are twenty songs on the album, and the almost 60 minutes run-time, as well as the simple acoustic/vocals format that dominates the disc, makes the album feel a bit redundant.

That said, Bad at Breaking Up is a must have for fans of the band, and will please many unfamiliar as well. There are at least 10 great tracks on this album, and had it been better picked through, it would have been perfect. But as it is, it is still pretty damn good, and I strongly suggest downloading “Get Over It or Get It Over With” even if you don’t buy the whole album.

Suburban Home

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