Punch Brothers Tread Water on All Ashore

Punch Brothers’ 2008 debut, Punch, is one of popular music’s stellar debuts, a seamless mix of classical, jazz, and bluegrass elements. Songwriting took a relative backseat to virtuosic instrumentation; however, the band followed Punch with 2010’s Antifogmatic and 2012’s Who’s Feeling Young Now? – albums that strove for instrumental excellence and indicated songwriting prowess. With 2015’s The Phosphorescent Blues, produced by T Bone Burnett, the group navigated a dynamic balance between musical eclecticism and indie-infused songwriting, offering lyrics, melodies, and choruses that complemented and were complemented by adventurous instrumental segments. Unsurprisingly, the album was nominated for Best Americana album and the Sam Beam-inspired “Julep” for Best Americana Roots Song at the 2016 Grammy Awards.

Punch Brothers’ new and self-produced album, All Ashore, shows the band continuing to assert itself as an ensemble of compelling instrumentalists and eager songwriters. At times, however, the guys lose focus, diluting their instrumental abilities in the name of accessibility, at the same time failing to deliver the irresistibly melodic verses and choruses that helped define The Phosphorescent Blues. The album begins with the title track, Chris Thile’s vocal atypically high in the mix – a major-label norm reminiscent of Thile’s other band, Nickel Creek – further indication of Punch Brothers’ intent to woo the casual listener.

“Three Dots and a Dash” features the band moving successfully between well-orchestrated instrumentation and casually improvised parts, though some passages reveal the band seeking inspiration rather than operating from it (the curse of the jam band). The final minute of the piece displays the band cogently in its element, though not as unabashedly assertive as on previous milestones, including the epic and four-part “The Blind Leading the Blind” from Punch.

Part of what was highly effective on The Phosphorescent Blues was the band’s fluid segues from viable melodies to well-constructed instrumental segments; that is, their ability to fuse pop songwriting and progressive musicality. With All Ashore, the band offers songs that are generally lengthier and more tortuous, creating more space and leeway, and occasionally making good use of both, though at times, again, the instrumentation occurs as overly desultory. “Jumbo” is an exception to this, a McCartney-esque ditty with brief but stunning harmonies reminiscent of Queen, instrumental segments skipping along briskly with a subtle whimsicality that conjures images of a Victorian salon.

“The Gardener” highlights Chris Thile’s mandolin part, simple but elegant, melodic and atmospheric. “Jungle Bird” shows the band adopting a more assuredly instrumental stance, Thile’s mandolin and Gabe Witcher’s violin creating a series of melodic runs, progressive bluegrass à la New Grass Revival and/or Sam Bush. The more spacious segments reference jazzy and classical accents, reminding me of Béla Fleck’s Perpetual Motion. While The Phosphorescent Blues suggested that Punch Brothers were indeed capable of consummate songwriting, All Ashore is a reminder that this band excels, raising and setting new bars, in the instrumental arena. “Like It’s Going out of Style” is further confirmation of this, the intro straddling and integrating bluegrass, folk, country, and jazz motifs. Even after the vocal part begins, Witcher’s accents on violin and Thile’s tasteful licks on mandolin remain the primary aesthetic elements.

Chris Thile, Noam Pikelny, Chris Eldridge, Paul Kowert, and Gabe Witcher are five of popular music’s more articulate and versatile instrumentalists, individually and collectively. On The Phosphorescent Blues, they presented themselves as inspired songwriters as well. On All Ashore, however, their songwriting ambitions don’t quite come to fruition. The album certainly includes its energized moments, though I’m perplexed as to why such dexterous musicians would frequently subordinate their instrumental talents, mining perennial formulae that they never fully claim or remake as their own. Artistic evolution is a complex process: how to broaden a repertoire, stylistically and aesthetically, while employing natural aptitudes as a compass point. While some may enjoy the prog-lite nature of this album, my sense is that the band’s inherently impressive abilities were undermined by their mission to craft material and utilize approaches that might enroll a larger audience. One can appreciate the temptation. The hook, commercially speaking, looms as the gateway to the promised land.