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THORNBURG / MANOR – Tempest
2021 (Self-Release)
Buy the album here.
Followers of Madison music know Bob Manor and Greg Thornburg as members of the Getaway Drivers, a rock-Americana group that has had significant success. But like a gazillion other performers, the pandemic pretty much stopped the band in its tracks. Out of all the chaos that was the year 2020, there have been a few bright spots. Tempest is certainly one of those, though “bright” is not an apt descriptor. Tempest is full of loss, isolation, longing and unanswered questions. Each song on the album can be seen literally or figuratively as a reflection of these times.
Not to be undone by such an obstacle as a pandemic, Manor continued to create, both as an improvisational pianist and as a songwriter. Thornburg, who plays drums in the Getaway Drivers, is also a talented guitarist, his solo recordings and performances revealing him to be an adept acoustic stylist. Recently, however, he picked up an electric guitar and those contributions largely define Tempest, musically.
Manor sent Thornburg a demo of a song he’d been working on and, being every bit the restless soul that Manor is, he responded with drums, bass, electric guitar and production work. One thing led to another with Thornburg adding tracks to Manor’s tunes and Manor adding lyrics and structure to Thornburg’s ideas.
Tempest is not just a metaphor for the pandemic and broken relationships, it’s a document of them. Thornburg’s drums had to be programmed and recording and production work was carried on remotely but given the portrait Tempest paints these are hardly liabilities. In fact – the whole project being absorbed in its subject matter – these characteristics enhance the artistic statement.
From the first bars the departure from the Getaway Drivers’ sound is evident, but the departure is not complete. Manor’s smooth vocals remain a constant and even though (fellow Getaway Driver) Sheila Shigley’s vocals are absent, the layered harmonies remain. Then there is the album’s closer, “Song is Sung,” a mournful, countrified ballad that puts the acoustic guitar back in the spotlight.
Thornburg’s electric riffing through a digital delay charts a new course that is far more groove oriented. “Shine for Me” is well-selected as an album opener as it encapsulates these elements and envelops them in references to morning light. During these dark times we’ve all benefitted from someone in our life that we can hold on to, who might ease our burdens. When the song ends it feels almost too abrupt; it’s one of those songs that feels like it should go on.
“How Much Rain” follows nicely, Thornburg’s slick riffing again coming to the fore. Lyrically, it’s heartbreaking: “How much rain can one storm make?… / If I could give you a beautiful world / I would / My girl.” Manor could be talking about a female companion but perhaps even about his daughters. Taken it this context it’s quite impactful, as any parent would attest given the events of the last several years and especially the last.
The gentle piano and soft vocal delivery of “In Solitude” is juxtaposed against the heavy guitar riffing. It’s a cool tune with a chorus that repeats “Dominus autem solitudinem” which translates to “god of the desert.” Again the lyrics could be taken two ways: “You were gone without a trace / As the sun was sinking low / The last look on your face / Told me all I’d ever known.”
“The Witch of the Sea” and “Epilogue (After the Witch)” employ allegory to great effect. References to Poseidon and the Edmund Fitzgerald (“The end of November / Remembers the Witch of the Sea,” and “When the church bells chime / Forty-seven times / The gulls and widows cry / And we go silent”). Not surprising references since Manor hails from Superior and Gordon Lightfoot is one of his idols.
A couple of the songs get reprised. “Shine – Redux” and “Solitude.” These were probably intended to create thematic restatements but it could also be that it extended the album’s playing time. These don’t seem necessary given the thematic concepts already manifested in the work.
“Fields of Fire” may be the most direct political statement and “Barely Breathe” may address relationship issues most directly. “Barely Breathe” has a jazzy feel in the chording while “Fields of Fire” uses a tight bass line played by Dan Kennedy to underscore Thornburg’s punctuated guitar.
There is never any shortage of human tragedy from which great creativity proceeds. We do not need “hard times” to fuel inspiration; for most artists it’s all hard. But the events of the last two years (and who knows how many more) may prove to unleash the utmost sorrow. A flood of lockdown-inspired works has already been released. The best of those will relate to the examination of the human condition as that is where the hope for humanity has always resided; in enlightenment and not darkness.
