New London Fire – The Dirt, The Blood, The Faith

I can’t help but feel lucky that it took until New London Fire’s third full length for me to finally cross paths with the New Jersey trio.  The Dirt, The Blood, The Faith follows last year’s well-received Happiness Through Radios & Wires and marks a significant departure from the indie base.  In fact, their current trajectory carries over very little from their past performance, finding the band dawning their instruments and heading to the countryside to explore their obvious fascination with modern folk rock.  It’s dark, serious folk just shy of the gothic tag and bursting with rural, full band authenticity.

If Chuck Ragan and The Gaslight Anthem ever collaborated together they’d be hard pressed to reach the bar set throughout The Dirt, The Blood, The Faith’s ten tracks.

Above all else, Dave Debiak is a storyteller.  His direct, unabashed delivery is like something out of a stage theatre performance – his words take on a life beyond surface value, his craggy, weathered tone bestowing them with a life-like worldliness.  Landing with the weight of experience, passages throughout the title track loom with grizzled realism.  “Headlights, come take me home so I can take my place so I can take my place in the dirt, in the blood, in the fiath” he exclaims, weighting every word with the perfect balance of care and heaviness.  Without exaggerating, New London Fire breaks the barrier between performer and audience, achieving a relationship that must be lived to fully grasp.

The Dirt, The Blood, The Faith is incredibly appropriate given the world’s crumbling fragile state.  Teeming with themes of loss and defeat, New London Fire aims to reinforce a nation’s perseverance in the face of tragedy.  Sure, Chuck Ragan has been singing about the plight of the American worker for years, but he’s never achieved heights like these – and that’s coming from a long time fan.  There’s no two ways about it, Debiak is a master lyricist.  Sift through the striking imagery of “The Jungle” for a high point that mere paraphrasing can’t do justice.

But Debiak’s vocals only tell part of the story.  The rest can be chalked up to the incredibly cohesive contributions of the band’s remaining members and contributors.  Much like Debiak’s every word, each note from violinist Rebecca Schlappich and beat from their accompanying drummer lands with enough power to penetrate your very soul.  With each passing listen, the pounding war cry on opener “Other Side Of Town” gains momentum.  When combined with the cursory combination of hope and despair inherent in each outwardly emotional stroke, the song never fails to send a shiver down my spine.  From the fledging minimalism heightening the cautious optimism of future generations in “Rise,” to the acoustic rallying cry of “Until the Light Goes Out On Me,” every song boasts as much personality as you, your friends, and everyone else you hold dear.

I can say without reserve that The Dirt, The Blood, The Faith is my biggest surprise of the year.  New London Fire has not only set a new personal standard, but dare I say they’ve set a new bar for alternative Americana.  Folk, country – call it what you will – The Dirt, The Blood, The Faith is downright inspirational and deserves to be enjoyed well outside of its niche.  The album may be self released and entirely funded through kickstarter, so I’m not sure how readily available it will be, but trust me, you’ll thank me later when you track down a copy.  So get hunting.  Now.