Isaiah True Weaver - "Good Men Die Like Dogs"
Somebody get this man a production budget
This was a random pickup for me. While scrolling the AOTY hashtag on Tumblr, I happened upon a post by the artist’s friend asking for people to give it a go.
Why not?
Isaiah True Weaver is a small-time Indie Folk/Rock artist based in Pheonix, AZ. This is his second or third album (I found releases in 2020 and 2021; the 2021 release credits a second artist, so I suppose this is his second solo LP). The music found on Good Men Die Like Dogs is incredibly bare-bones. It’s all acoustic, with maybe four or five total instruments in use across the entire album (at least one guitar, bass, and piano being the clear elements; there’s also a keyboard/synth in “Spring”). The majority of songs are just Weaver’s vocals and acoustic guitar.
And it works.
It works because while the elements are simple, they’re clearly defined and technically complex. The guitar isn’t just accompaniment - it’s rhythm, percussion, and harmony, all in one. Weaver’s vocals carry the melody, but they’re also steeped in emotion. While there isn’t much written on the artist currently, I would readily dance out on a limb and suggest, based on what I’ve heard on this album, that he is intimately familiar with the pain of loss. It comes through far too well for that to not be the case.
While finding information about the artist is somewhat difficult, I did manage to locate a transcription of the lyrics. Since this is a smaller artist, I want to make certain those are available for anybody else who wants to dive deeper into Weaver’s music.
There are no bad songs on this album, and there’s rarely even a bad moment. The worst section comes in the first three minutes, but that’s due to artistic choice. Allow me to build this out a little more:
The first track on the album is basically a three-song suite which has mashed them all onto one eleven-minute track, “Flying Machine/Don’t Let Us Down/Ease”. With the album’s total runtime at a decent 35 minutes, this opening track takes up nearly a third of it. The first section, “Flying Machine”, leans hard on this old-timey, monotonous, clunky piano sound (which, I KNOW there’s a term for this specific style of playing, but I have no idea what it is or even how to search for it). Further, it takes three minutes to get through one fourteen-line verse because the tempo is so low. The suite has an arc, though, as the lyrics indicate a sick/dying brother in “Don’t Let Us Down”, and then his passing in “Ease”. So while I can’t put my finger on exactly what the point of the stylistic decisions in “Flying Machine” are, I can confirm that the choice of style there at least feels intentional.
“Spring” and “Brook” are two of the strongest tracks on the album in terms of melody. “Spring” also has this atmospheric quality thanks to the keyboard or synth. “Brook” is almost disappointing because it’s so short, at just shy of two-and-a-half minutes.
“Where is Your Son?” and “Into the Dark” continue the darker tone that “Spring” briefly interrupts. Though it is worth noting that these three songs mirror, quite well, the arc that defines “Flying Machine/Don’t Let Us Down/Ease”, starting high with the bright, dreamy ambience of “Spring, and then diving low by the time we reach “Into the Dark”.
And that song, specifically, brings me to my biggest complaint.
See, Weaver doesn’t leave anything behind in the recording booth. And “Into the Dark” is one of the best examples of this – he does the same thing that I love Tyler Childers for: he throws himself into the song. When we hit those big, deeply emotional moments, he gives it everything. And, like with Childers, it’s gorgeous.
Except that it overwhelms his recording equipment. His voice gets muffled slightly on the downbeat with the heavy strum. And it messes with my enjoyment of what is, otherwise, an exceptional song.
Somebody get this man a budget.
With what he’s able to achieve with what little he has, I would be interested to see what he could do with some legitimate backing. And maybe he wouldn’t do much more – there’s absolutely nothing wrong with maintaining a simple approach and a raw sound. But maybe some better recording and mixing equipment would be welcome. Maybe a few hired session instrumentalists?
I can’t be certain of whether the throughline extends through the whole album, but tracks 1-4 definitely feel related. But the album does feel very cohesive.
The album’s title, Good Men Die Like Dogs, does feel a bit edgy, but more in a Cormac McCarthy kind of way. It’s literary edginess – something genuine and personal, and not just darkness for darkness’ sake.
There’s a lot of raw talent here. If you like raw indie and rock music (Pinegrove, The Front Bottoms), strong Folk (Lord Huron) or dark themes with strong melodies (Hozier without the sex), then check this album out.
Rating: Teal Blue