Ian Fisher puts Idle Hands to a very good use
Years ago I heard an interview with Bob Dylan in which he was asked about the “hidden meaning” behind a particular lyric. He looked amused and said, “Man, I liked the way it rhymed.”
I had always liked various eras and personas of Dylan, but my respect for him rose several notches that day because of his simple honesty. There wasn’t any particularly deep thought behind the song; he just thought it sounded good.
You see, I grew up with a certain idea of what a singer/songwriter is, or should be. I believed every song should have some deeper meaning, some poignant observation on the human condition.
I still have great deal of admiration for that kind of songwriting but have long since come to understand that these types of songs are fewer and further between than I would have imagined. For one thing, their commercial viability is…uneven. For another, it’s far too easy to wield a heavy hand and create music that tends towards the preachy and overbearing.
It takes a very particular kind of skill to produce the right balance of statement and entertainment. Bruce Cockburn managed it. U2 was well-known for it in their earlier days, it’s what built their reputation, however their music evolved later on.
Joe Strummer and The Clash are iconic for their politically charged tunes and probably did a great deal to raise the awareness of some kids who otherwise might not have given much thought to what goes on in the world.
What a pleasure it is, then, to discover the music of Ian Fisher, a self-taught musician from rural Missouri who went to earn a degree in political science before spending over a decade touring Europe and the world at large.
Ian is a fellow who knows things, who has seen things, and has the skill and talent to express his observations musically without ever coming across as heavy-handed or preachy. He is a rarity; a singer/songwriter who, building on his folk roots, has found the delicate balance between deep, meaningful subtext and entertaining music.
His latest album, Idle Hands, was recently released and has drawn favorable comparisons to the work of Jason Isbell, another artist whose work resonates with deeper truths while maintaining its integrity as wonderfully listenable music.
The title track is a fine introduction to the complexities of Fisher’s style. His bio states that his early musical education was largely at the hands of his father’s collection of ‘70s records and it shows here with complex arrangements and production that borders on lavish without giving in to the self-indulgence prevalent in much of the music of that era.
On the face of it, this might seem anathema to his self-professed folk roots, a genre generally thought of as being “stripped down,” but here again is a sign of his unique talent. Lyrically he can take the no-nonsense approach of the folkie and combine with a musical complexity that creates something new.
This is only a sampling of the ground covered by the album, however. “Tears in Dust” is, in fact, as powerful a folk/country song as any I’ve heard while “Road to Jordan” has an early eighties alt-pop feel right up Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello’s alley.
The music is flexible, Fisher makes of use of the technique he feels best suits an individual track, but the underlying theme throughout is one of intelligent, thoughtful, worldly lyrics.
Fisher isn’t putting on a costume when he steps to the microphone, he’s delivering sincerity and he does with a background that lends considerable gravitas to the work.
It’s highly unlikely you’ll find the opportunity to catch a concert locally, the only U.S. show for the rest of his 2018 tour is in the middle of September in New York, but his music (and videos) is readily found online and well worth the time and effort to check out.