Aw Come Aw Wry
Phosphorescent’s Mark Houck will likely be dodging Will Oldham comparisons for the entirety of his professional life. Not only does his cracked warble bear a distinct resemblance to Oldham’s enigmatic Kentucky croon but so does his generously bearded countenance. Houck need not be bothered by such comparisons, for even though his 2003 debut boasted an undeniable Oldham influence, it did so on its own terms, and that album\'s standouts, “How Far we All Come Away” and “Salt & Blues” in particular, were effortlessly assured. His second full length, 2005’s *Aw Come Aw Wry*, finds the artist broadening the admittedly minimal sonic palette of his debut with horns and gospel choirs, but is by no means overproduced. Houck’s battered, spindly guitar work and tentative but oddly beautiful vocals remain the backbone of his sound. Rather than drowning these simple, but effective elements with needless overdubs, Houck slowly works from skeletal musical premises towards glorious crescendos, balancing songs like the stark “Joe Tex, These Taming Blues” against the ecstatic, wordless chorus of “Endless, Part 2”.
Matthew Houck's sophomore album is packed with glacially paced, eccentrically orchestrated, and lyrically oblique songs.
Aw Come Aw Wry, the second full-length from one-man indie folk mood-maker Phosphorescent, found principal songwriter Matthew Houck in a more atmospheric phase than later records would tend toward.