The Wake

What does it mean for young people to make old-time music? This question is unavoidable in a discussion of an album like this one, but I don’t have a clear answer. Is it dishonest for educated young people to sing songs about working all day and not being able to read? Is it objectionable to be nostalgic for an idealized period of time in which you never lived, or is that form of escapism harmless? Is this music aesthetically meaningful or is it just kitsch? All of these issues come to the foreground during “Hit ‘Em Up Style,” an old-fashioned cover of a one-hit trash song from 2001. The Drops have arranged the song for fiddle, banjo and beatbox, creating what could either be seen as a fusion of old and new styles or a lack of imagination in reenvisioning the song, and though Rhiannon Giddens sings with power and passion, the source material is shitty and stupid. It’s an awesome novelty, but novelty is all it is.

Ethical issues aside, the Drops fare better when they stick to old-time covers. “Don’t Get Trouble In Your Mind” in particular is a fun track, the youth of the players lending it the energy it needs to succeed. This is maybe the best understanding of the record: young people playing music they love with the energy it deserves. But when they stray from their subgenre the results are subpar: “Reynadine” is a real wincer, Tom Waits’ “Trampled Rose” is better left alone, and the only original song on the record, “Kissin’ and Cussin’,” differs greatly from the rest of the album in mood and instrumentation, in addition to not being very good.