The end of the trilogy! Like Return of the Jedi without the Ewoks (well, maybe a few…), like The Godfather Part III without the sucking, like Revenge of the Sith without the sucking, like Jurassic Park III without the sucking…. do you get where I’m going with this? What started with Something Happened At Horse Lake reaches its’ epic conclusion with the just released How Do You Feel In June? It’s the Die Hard With A Vengeance of this trilogy only it’s called How Do You Feel In June? because How Do You Feel With A Vengeance would just sound silly.
But I digress.
Lyrically, this one’s closer to Empire than Return but if you liked the other two, you’re sure to love this. It’s sad. It’s downtrodden but it’s so damn good. Potylo is cementing his place as a great songwriter and leaving that alter ego of his in the dust. It’s albums like these last three that are going to have long-term fans finally saying “Roadsteamer who?”.
Opening with the quiet instrumental “Alex Grey” and building into “Burning Slow”, things get off to a banging start thanks to the thunderous drums. “Leave At Dawn” is just beautiful. It has those shimmering guitars that lit up And The Lonely Planets but it’s the piano that makes the song. It’s reminiscent of a Trent Reznor (de)composition or a Tom Waits classic or a disturbing lullaby.
As a whole, How Do You Feel In June? is as dark as it is deep. It’s rainy day music that can be played anytime thanks to the strength and endurance of Potylo. Other gems include the blues-y “Quiet Desperation” (Season 2 coming soon!) and the decidedly filthy yet surprisingly sweet sounding “Condom On My Dreams”.
The hardest working man in Allston celebrates the end of the trilogy at Church of Boston with Battle House, Hooker Clops, and Solo Sexx on Sunday, November 20th.
How Do You Feel In June? is out now. Check out the deets here.
Grade: A