Johnathan Rice - Further North

Johnathan Rice
Further North
Reprise Records
Grade: A-/A

You likely know who Johnathan Rice is or have at least heard him before but didn’t realize it. Besides from existing in the hip LA indie rock scene, Rice played the role of Roy Orbison in the Johnny Cash-biopic Walk the Line; and most folks have seen that movie. On Further North, Rice’s second full-length, the DC native opens up his sweet alt-country indie rock love to extents not previously seen, and in so doing makes converts of the uninitiated.

As a solo troubadour, Rice took a common path of heading to NYC to pursue rock dreams. In Rice’s case those dreams consisted of updating the sounds of Neil Young, the Band, and Gram Parsons, while scrapping a living in the city. Scrapping in NYC is as common as breathing as Rice realized soon. With the support of the indie scene, Rice released the EP Heart and Mind, and such started a spin into the arms of Reprise/Warner Brothers. For his debut full-length, Rice headed into Saddle Creek mainstay Mike Mogis’ Nebraska studio and came away with the grandiose Trouble is Real (released in 2005). Trouble is Real spans numerable styles with the heart laying in a type of psychedelic indie country pop. Though a different time and mentality for Rice, Trouble is Real set the stage for Rice to tour with acts such as Jenny Lewis and Wilco.

For Further North, Rice decided to take a more stripped down and simple approach to the eleven-track offering. It is quite possible that Rice’s ramblings with touring partners and his hanging out in the LA scene (where he is rumored to be dating Lewis) may have influenced Further North’s rooty alt-country pop. Producing the album in LA with Jason Lader and (Farmer) Dave Scher, Rice used an ensemble cast approach to the recording. Among the individuals offering their talents besides from the producers are Lewis, Rilo Kiley’s Jason Boesel, Brian Geltner, Davey Faragher, among many others. In fact, seven of the eleven songs here were written by Lewis and Rice – a powerful duo indeed.

Further North begins on the pedal steel-fused “We’re All Stuck Out In the Desert” – the first single – where Rice calls out such lines as “We’re all stuck out in the desert and we’re all going to die” in a manner that you embrace. What carries Rice is his powerful, trance-creating voice mixed with a terrific set of lyrics. Some of the phrases and vocal cadences throughout the album remind you of Lewis’ solo work and Rilo Kiley adventures; it may be that the knowledge of the songwriting credits tempers this belief. The title-track starts like a big dirty mess before getting round up into an alt-country pop number with dirty electric guitar from Black Mills rocking the intermittent riff. Moving to a pop duet, “End of the Affair” features Lewis and Rice combining and trading off lines, but Lewis’ voice is equally balanced against Rice and doesn’t stand out like usual. “Middle of the Road” is a moderate tempo mover where Rice’s voice shines against acoustic guitars and a catchy chorus. Thankfully, someone has finally written a song regarding the weed that isn’t a rap, stoner, or gangster-metal anthem, though “THC” is the trippiest song on Further North. “It Couldn’t Be Me” meanders around dusty mountains, while “Giving It Up” is a straight up, kick drum-driven rocker – and what a punk band of Rice, Lewis, and Boesel might sound like. “The Ballad of King Coyote” has a trippy feel, but more southwestern than the acid of “THC,” and “What Am I Going to Do?” pushes the fun button on the vox organ. Further North closes on the wordy hard rocker “Hard to Believe” and the darker acoustic “It is Best to Keep it All Inside.”

The more and more you listen to Further North, the more endearing it becomes. It is not an issue of familiarity, but of excellence. From the first echoing of the opening “We’re All Stuck Out in the Desert,” Rice gives you the contemporary Americana feel you dream about.