Thirteen Stories

Description

Thirteen Stories is the third full-length album by the American singer and songwriter Robert Deeble, independently released on Pete Records in 2003.

In my endless quest to find music that awakens me from my stoic state, I took the advice of someone who said, “If’n you like Rich Mullins and Mark Heard, two dead guys, you should check out Robert Deeble, who is very much alive.” I ordered his latest, Thirteen Stories, a collection of 12 songs in the singer-songwriter vein, and listened a few times. Nothing. But then I stumbled upon the thirteenth story, a short documentary shot on 8mm film and narrated by Deeble. This film told an engaging story from his last tour and revealed the warmth, humor and humility of this artist. It’s difficult to describe how, but after this visual experience the music and lyrics opened up, finally revealing their depth and beauty to this robotic boilerplate.

At first listen you may be tempted, like I was, to write off Deeble as just another thin-voiced coffeehouse crooner who somehow managed to pull together a full band and land a record deal. But deeper listening reveals that he is quite adept at the ever-prominent guitar, as evidenced especially by the two instrumental tracks that are much more than filler. His lyrics, likewise, share a depth that is only revealed by searching. The opening track exhibits a grand example of Deeble’s word pictures: “He was the boy with the California sun/ That walked to the pier/ By the point of a gun/ And the sea took him in/ And swallowed him whole/ As the sky rolled back like a scroll.” The smoky «Blue», augmented by a cello, a crusty bass and a lightly breaking drum kit, has my favorite lyric of 2004: “Could you afford a major chord to make us all smile?”

Insightful lyrics can be precocious without the correct, humble delivery, and masterful musicianship can be empty flash without a solid song. Fortunately, Deeble is crafty with the melody and writes songs that are as alive as the characters in his songs, breathing a life of their own. One of the best is the delicate and intimate «Eclipse», which tells of a hopeful reconciliation with an earnest melody and instruments that at times cleanly sing and other times buzz with fret noise, emulating the jagged emotions that throb beneath the skin of such circumstances. This is much more than just production gimmickry; it’s raw emotions exuding through expertly performed voice and instrument.

Perhaps inspired by the scant words of these stories that ring for ages, I fear that spouting too many words will kill the fragile spell of Robert Deeble’s living album. Recent fans of Wilco or old fans of Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake or Suzanne Vega, or even those who have forgotten how to feel the quiet joys and sorrows of life, would do themselves a favor and sample the charms of Thirteen Stories. [Jason Hoffman, Whatzup, 2004]

Robert likes to joke around that he comes out with albums as often as the Olympics, but given the output of the left coast singer/songwriter in the past decade the World Cup might be a more accurate comparison. The Olympics come and go and memory of the names and medals fade until the next time around, where the World Cup is on soccer fans’ minds until the event is staged once again. Ask a Brit about the England/Brazil match in the last cup and he’ll talk as if it happened yesterday.

A lot has happened in the four years since Deeble’s last record – heck, Ryan Adams has put out something like a dozen albums since then – but the unheralded release of Thirteen Stories late last year makes the too few fans of this songwriting genius forget how long a wait it has been. When Deeble is playing, memory quickly fades as his soothing voice takes over and delivers stories of life and death and everything in between.

«The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson» is an instant classic, one that demands repeated listens. Not to mention a look over the lyric sheet just for good measure to make sure you are singing the right words in time. The mere mention of the poet, who captured beauty so elegantly in her poems, adds another enticing element to the song. Reaching into literary tradition for inspiration in his storytelling is certainly a theme throughout, from the Salinger-esque title to the album’s 12th and final song «A Russian Murder Ballad», with its obvious nod to Dostoevsky and the Brothers Karamazov.

In addition to borrowing from the classics, Deeble looks to modern day events for inspiration, using the rocket ship calculation mishap at NASA to revisit the character of Joe. From the tree climber on his first record, Joe has grown up to work in the space program, but through a calculation error costs the government millions.

Always the witty singer, who we remember once imagined Damien Jurado on the cover of a romance novel, Deeble tries to comfort his shamed character and asks, “What’s a million trillion dollars for?” We then get a history lesson of the space program, a reminder that seems all the more relevant with our current president looking to Mars (I’m sure Robert has his own opinions about that). Unlike John Mellencamp updating us on Jack and Diane, this song stands alone as a brilliant folk number definitive of all that is great about one of the most underrated songwriters around. His David Bowie reference at the end – “this is ground control to major Tom” – follows his elegant rendition of the Velvet Underground tune «I’ll Be Your Mirror».

Formatted like a book with prose on the back of the jacket that incorporates all of the album’s song titles in a narrative, this album represents a sort of research project for Deeble. He’s reached back in time, referencing his favorite literature, music and historical moments, even made a nod to his own songwriting past to catalogue a refreshing collection of stories and songs. In the end, he leaves the listener to make up their own mind about the 13th song, giving plenty of inspiration for just that. [Matthew Ralph, Tangzine, 02.11.2003]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/thirteen-stories/445628060)

CD tracklist:

01. The Boy with the California Sun – 4:43
02. The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson – 3:05
03. Peter and the Lion (V. 2 Premix) – 4:08
04. Blue – 3:08
05. Chinese Fighter Girl – 2:06
06. Jack’s Diary – 4:04
07. A Formal Apology – 4:03
08. 911 to Orson Welles – 4:02
09. Eclipse – 5:50
10. I’ll Be Your Mirror – 2:44
11. Joe and the Space Program – 4:25
12. A Russian Murder Ballad – 6:56