Ham 1 Go On and On and On

Jim Willingham has been making music for what seems like ages. Having been part of Vic Chesnutt along with fellow band members Eric Harris and Jacob Morris it’s fair to say he's been around the block a few times. It’s that longevity and endurance that truly makes listening to their new project, Ham 1, a bit intriguing. Willingham's new band of cohorts, under that name has taken a rambunctious and reckless approach to writing songs and as a result has produced records that sound similar to their approach. Let's Go On and On and On is really no different. Hovering somewhere around a camp of rockabilly fans while driving some sort Velvet Underground revival and taking loads of medication in-between, Ham 1 bring their latest album to life in a crazy chaotic fashion that will leave you scratching your head in bewilderment.

Let's Go On and On and On is a truly bizarre record that some will have a hard time getting their ears and brains around. Their twangy, dusty and rustic take on rock and roll is intriguing and mystifying at times but seems to lack that certain something that would push Ham 1 over the edge. As a result, the band remains in this strange sort of pastoral haze that they can't seem to shake off. Let's Go On and On wants to be something huge and wonderful, but never quite gets to the place it wants to be and it's a shame. I like the pastoral sounds that the band come up with here but so many of the textures are just that, textures...they never really get flushed out or develop into something solid that forces me to want to listen again and again.

There are some really neat ideas here but this doesn't sound like it was recorded with a band that has more years in the industry than most of the industry. Instead Let's Go On and On and On sounds a bit underwhelming and young which is just strange. I know the songs are in them...maybe they just need to be coerced out or dragged out by force. When the band do find their stride and find their inner hit writer, their countrified rock has loads of potential (i.e. "It's Only A Dream Unto Itself," or "Thinking Ahead of Myself,") but most of the time Let's Go On and On and On is hard to cling to.