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Everyone needs a great opening line. Wil Cope has his.
“I wanna fall outta love/so I can fall again,” muses the gatekeeper of that decrepit, rusted-over Tropicana Motel of the mind at the very start of his latest release, Denial River. Your Austin Music Minute maven has followed the tales of this Austin-based dystopian folk balladeer through his most haunted ramshackle corners since the days of Sunset Craves (2010) and Drunk Are the Stars (2012). Those revealing dark recesses and tragic comedies are what make Cope’s ruminations so damned evocative. There’s no turning away. Where the hell are these memories oozing in from? And forget the ride-off-into-the-sunset happy endings. ‘Cause after all, “if it ain’t tragic/how can it be true?”
It’s a big night for Cope. There’s no denying that this is his best work to date. Don’t miss his album release show tonight at the Hard Luck Lounge, 3526 E. 7th St. Rounding out the bill to perfection are Rattlesnake Milk and Altamesa. This one comes very recommended.
-Photography by Jacqueline Badeaux.
-Featured track on today’s AMM, “Drag the Moon,” by Wil Cope from Denial River.
