Atavistic Records
2001
Blue Laws
About This Album
On his sophomore release -- and his first for Truckstop -- T.W. Walsh explores much of the same lyrical and musical territory he did on his acclaimed (but not by this site) debut, How We Spend Our Days. But Walsh has more than just a rehash on Blue Laws. Here he expands his musical palette to include organ, slide guitar, bass, piano, and even drums: Most of these are played by Walsh himself, but he does get some help on the slide from Frank Padallero of the Scud Mountain Boys. Given Truckstop's penchant for issuing records by brooding, smart, vulnerable songwriters and sparse yet highly textured music, it's no wonder the label took a chance on Walsh. There are influences galore here, from Dinosaur Jr. to the Dutch Harbour gang, Palace, Built to Spill, and Smog, to name a few. But lyrically Walsh is his own man. He opens album with the words "I wish everyone would retire/Or at least go in late," from "Kudos for the Player." His confessional vulnerability is out front: "Every once in a while/I might seem a little bit worried/I might seem a little bit strange/But its only part of the game." Exposed for all its slacker tenderness and raw, bleeding fear, his heart carries these songs.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5 and 6)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.