POSSIBLE SPOILERS

If Bruce is planning to play songs from this record on tour then hiring a horn section was definitely a good idea. I’ve tried to not change too much from what I wrote down during my genuine first listen but some of my scribbling made no sense at all…

1. We Take Care Of Our Own
   The first of three familiar songs, albeit the only one performed for the first time this year. The ‘statement’ opening song; it sets the tone and outlines the aim of the experiment, the hypothesis which will be debated throughout the record. Familiar ESB sound complete with string section.


2. Easy Money
   Vocal style and melody are reminiscent of ‘Into The Fire’. The rhyming couplets are deceptively simple and carry a heavier burden than the song’s apparent light-heartedness makes immediately clear.


3. Shackled & Drawn
   The melody sounds similar to the interpretation of ‘Old Dan Tucker’ from Seeger Sessions. A song that follows folk tradition and wouldn’t sound at all out of place on that album. The beginning of the narrator’s day…


4. Jack Of All Trades
   Piano intro similar to ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’… orchestral instrumentation contrast with Nebraska-esque themes: the working man is disenfranchised, and would resort to gun crime if he could. Although is the fact that he doesn’t a sign of optimism or the times changing? The voice seems to be addressing a small town meeting or perhaps a large family counsel.


5. Death To My Hometown
   A lot of the song is confused; numerous voices clamour over a militant drum beat. Does this reflect the bewilderment of ‘democracy’? Especially when the abundance of Civil War era references/instrumentation is considered. The death could be both literal and figurative. It’s as though the audience present in the previous song have risen as one in search of somebody to acknowledge their grievances.


6. This Depression
   On very first listen the drums seem too much, but the realisation came later that actually they carry the song for most of its The guitar solos ring around like sirens, duelling with touches of ethereal vocals. But confession/depression is an oft-used rhyme and feels convenient, rather than intentionally simple.


7. Wrecking Ball
   CLASSIC. Impossible to hear without comparing to original live recording. The studio has made it more ‘heavy-hearted’ than the first. This version lifts the song above a mere sports analogy and embeds it amongst other trademark Bruce/ ESB material. The woah-oh vocals towards the end mimic Born To Run’s triumphant, desperate call to arms - the fleeting thought that the world can burn while we dance in the ruins. Trumpets lead where there might once have been sax, giving this recording a more ‘big band’ pre-rock & roll feel. Personally I miss the sax but who won’t..?


8. You’ve Got It
   Another stark beginning; the solo acoustic opening again reminiscent of Nebraska’s production until the drum rhythm pulls the song into this millennium. Perhaps slightly out of context as it seems like a more intimate dialogue between speaker and subject. In the story of the persona from tracks 5/6 this could be an internal monologue/dream, similar to the exchange between Rob and Bruce in High Fidelity.


9. Rocky Ground
   Packed full of religious imagery and biblical allusions. In times of trial and desperation we turn to the idea of God whether we truly believe or otherwise, and maybe we’re only just being heard now. An understated female chorus sings over a ‘Streets Of Philadelphia’-esque electric drum pattern. WHAT IS THIS RAP with its ‘Hard Times…’ reference?! (I couldn’t think of any way to edit that sentence). The bullet mic “I’m a soldier” refrain reflects later live performances of ‘Born In The USA’ - distorted and almost certain to be misinterpreted. Song ends with subdued organ part which feels significant, as though something else is implied… generally quite unlike anything in Springsteen’s canon to date.


10. Land of Hope and Dreams
    Unusual introduction and more electric percussion? Once more, impossible to not compare with existing live recordings. A familiar song to many, with the last great sax solo… it’s beautiful, powerful and poignant. Perhaps the song is too long in its studio setting; it lacks some of the ‘live’ energy injected by Bruce’s frequent exhortations to continue. Yet it’s still obvious that everyone is invited!


11. We Are Alive
    Another solo acoustic opening, urgent and whispered… and there’s Calvary again! The album is bookended by that darn place. As the band enters, death and history comes back to life. The spirits of the past remember and want to atone for their mistakes, they would have stayed if only they could. But ‘bodies betray us’ (in more than one way). A camp fire folk song built into an anthem with a riff that echoes ‘Ring Of Fire’. Once the rest of the band stops playing, the singer carries on. He continues on his journey, looking forward, whistling, and we’re reminded that “He leaves when we die”.

To me this album feels like a journey, either through a working man’s day or through his life. The shadows of death and depression hang overhead throughout but the small joys and pleasures are celebrated when they can be found. Of course, this is purely what I take from one listen of the record without much time to analyse it in any great depth. And I would love to hear what everybody else thinks of it so far!