The album that changed Lucy Dacus’ life
Most modern songwriters looking to expand their craft could learn their chops by listening to Lucy Dacus. Throughout her work as a solo artist and part of the collective Boygenius, Dacus’ knack for writing stirring emotional songs has been seeping its way into the mainstream for years, capping off with the phenomenal release, The Record. Although Dacus does have a knack for songwriting, she credits one album with helping her understand what the medium was all about.
Then again, Dacus’s taste goes far beyond her usual wheelhouse. Though she has gravitated towards the sounds of folk music throughout her career, her palette runs through different genres that no one would have ever expected on first listen. When talking to Louder, Dacus would take her audience on a tour de force of different music, crossing genre boundaries that no one would have considered.
Although many have cited acts like Boygenius as an answer to classic folk acts like Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Dacus has her taste rooted in the sounds of LSD Soundsystem and Wilco. While the sounds of Jeff Tweedy may make more sense considering where Dacus ended up, James Murphy was taking a similar approach through a different medium, using songs to exorcise his demons through electronic noise on songs like ‘All My Friends’.
As rock and roll started to make its way into the 2010s, though, listeners were given a shakeup when listening to Alabama Shakes for the first time. Instead of the traditional electronic-leaning material that was being plastered over the radio at the time, Brittany Howard was bringing the fiercest rock music imaginable to the fold, embracing the sounds of blues, gospel, and old school rock on songs like ‘Don’t Wanna Fight No More’.
When hearing it for the first time, Dacus admitted being transfixed, saying, “One record that has totally changed my life is this. Simply because it set a new bar sonically for me. Recording-wise, I feel like I’m always reaching for the quality of this record. Also, I think Brittany Howard is one of the living greats of our time”.
It’s easy to see why Dacus was sucked in by the record’s sonics. Rather than rely on the traditional elements of ProTools, Alabama Shakes embrace different natural sound elements, with a live drum track and a booming vocal echo that makes the record feel like you’re listening to the artist play in the room rather than a sonic space.
Howard wasn’t even finished surprising her audience, either, making her first handful of solo outings with a similar approach. Even though she already had her sound down to a science throughout most of the 2010s, a song like ‘13th Century Metal’ off Jaime was a good indication of how she wanted to expand her sound, putting the keyboard at the front of the mix and showcasing her booming vocal delivery.
Dacus would also find a producer in the record, with engineer Shawn Everett working with her extensively on the album Home Video just a few years later. Alabama Shakes and Lucy Dacus may not be the ideal pairing of artists, but sometimes it’s best to go outside one’s comfort zone to find the kind of sounds that they’re looking for.
