Chris Stamey is looking back. Last year he released Anything is Possible, an album of mostly original songs that paid homage to the kind of pop music that the co-founder of the dB’s grew up on. A year later, Stamey returns with Modernism, a collection of covers of hits and obscurities from the ’60s and early ’70s. While the record veers from pop to funk to torch songs, Stamey’s loving dedication and impeccable musicianship make it worth a spin.
Stamey enlisted an impressive cast of collaborators to bring Modernism to life. Pat Sansone (Wilco), Jody Stephens (Big Star), Jon Wurster (the Mountain Goats, Bob Mould) and many others sat in at Stamey’s Modern Recording studio in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. And while Stamey doesn’t reinterpret these songs in wildly different directions, the nostalgic joy infused in each one unites this seeming hodgepodge of tracks.
Modernism begins with the Beatles deep cut “Hey Bulldog” with Stephens on the drums. Cut in about an hour, the track is an interesting choice to cover. Originally tucked away on Yellow Submarine, Stamey allows this back-to-basics rock number to shine on Modernism with its signature riff.
Next Stamey tackles “Waterloo Sunset” by the Kinks, a much-loved song he compared covering to climbing Mount Everest. Working here with the dB’s, Stamey does an admirable job covering Ray Davies, but it is difficult to top the original version.
Modernism often shines on its more obscure tracks. The Left Banke’s “Shadows Breaking Over My Head” moves away from its more baroque original form and towards an arrangement akin to something Burt Bacharach would come up with. Working with Probyn Gregory and Nelson Bragg from the Brian Wilson Band, Stamey casts his version in the warm glow of an evening flipping through AM channels. Meanwhile, his take on “Hernando’s Hideaway” from the ’50s musical The Pajama Game moves the song past an old-fashioned oddity and into much stranger territory.
Covers albums often feel like vanity projects or throat-clearing whims. Stamey is likely aware he can’t beat Etta James on “At Last,” but he sounds like he’s having fun trying. The biggest swing here is a cover of Sly and the Family Stone’s “Thank You (Falenttinme Be Mice Elf Again).” Stamey isn’t a particularly funky musician, but Wurster’s drums help him capture the groove.
Modernism ends with a cover of “Ruby Tuesday,” which comes with a touching story. Stamey recently found a rough mix featuring Alex Chilton on drums and guitar that was recorded in the ’70s. Stamey added his vocals along with Don Dixon on bass and Rachel Kiel on recorder to give the track another life. If anything, it encapsulates what Stamey is doing on Modernism: breathing new life into songs that informed him and made the songwriter he is today.
