Punch Brothers – The Phosphorescent Blues

The members of Punch Brothers were the subject of the 2011 documentary, How to Grow a Band, and in fact started out using that as their name. If there was ever any doubt, The Phosphorescent Blues shows that the band is fully grown. In the beginning, there was some indication that they were looking to prove something, showing us how much they could do, but now they just do it. Whether they’re covering a French Impressionist composer, or working up an old Americana tune about a talking boll weevil, they are clearly comfortable now, nothing to prove, deploying their immense talents over a wide variety of styles and material.

Phosphorescent takes its title from a line about the glow of that ubiquitous phone. “Look at us we’re glowing, tripping the dark fantastic, singing the phosphorescent pinks and blues …” The song, “Little Lights”, celebrates the current equivalent of the Bic lighter, held high in the concert space, one in every hand, as a show of electronic solidarity. The audience together, the band together, and the audience and band together. It is fitting that the backing vocal overdubs for this song should come from the audience, via an idea hatched by band member Gabe Witcher (fiddle/violin). The fan-sourced voices were requested, submitted, and juxtaposed electronically, melding Punch Brothers with their audience in yet another way.

“Magnet” is the hottest acoustic pop song I’ve heard in quite some time. Reminding us a bit of Chris Thile’s Nickel Creek stuff, with a little more testosterone, the song combines upbeat picking and a little percussion while lyrically exploring a hallway hookup (or not?). “Julep” and “I Blew It Off” are strong tracks, too, highlighting the combination of Thile’s vocals and mandolin with a band that can play just about anything.  In addition to Thile and Witcher, the band includes Chris Eldridge (guitar), Paul Kowert (bass), and Noam Pikelny (banjo).  On this record, Jay Bellerose played drums and producer T Bone Burnett added electric guitar on three songs.

We have come to expect complex compositions out of Punch Brothers. “Familiarity”, the first track on the record, is an ambitious three-part piece calling to mind “The Blind Leaving the Blind” while getting it done in about ten minutes rather than forty. It’s one of the highlights for the hard core fan, without the need for a bathroom break.

One of the nicest songs on the record is “My Oh My”, a sentimental, regretful acknowledgement that we’re missing a lot while staring at our glowing screens. “My oh my what a wonderful day we’re having … Why oh why are we looking for a way outside it …” Why oh why, indeed. Leave the phone in the other room, put this record on, and open a New Belgium beer. As for me, I’m counting the days until I see these guys at Telluride.

The Phosporescent Blues was released January 27 on Nonesuch Records.