Michael Weston King (from The Struggle

Michael Weston King (from The Struggle on Cherry Red Records) (by Lee Zimmerman)

Michael Weston King succinctly sums up his supposed state of mind with the title of his new album, Struggle. A series of songs detailing the challenges and turmoil so many folks are facing during these troubled and tumultuous times. The Struggle hosts a decidedly different perspective as expressed by King himself, given the sardonic stance shared by his duo My Darling Clementine, which, for the past ten years, has been his primary focus in partnership with his wife and musical collaborator, Lou Dalgleish.

Then again, this heady approach is nothing new. Early on, in his original outfit The Good Sons, Michael Weston King maintained a furrowed brow within the band’s anthemic overtures. Given that it’s been ten years since King’s last solo sojourn, one might wonder if domestic discord has altered his mindset and effectively change his tune. Happily, though, that’s not the case, and My Darling Clementine will resume recording sometime soon.

Still, the sense of despair and disappointment is palatable throughout, resulting in one mournful melody after another. “Weight of the World”, which opens and closes the new record, sets the tone, flush with a mellow melancholia that leaves little doubt as to the singer’s sorrowful state of mind. “Another Dying Day” and “The Final Reel” project that pessimism to its fullest extent. However, the song that sums things up most succinctly falls to “The Hardest Thing of All”, a diary that details one man’s depression and sources the sentiment from futility and frustration.

‘when the hardest thing of all
Is just getting out of bed
And the sun that’s streaming in
Only lights a darkness in your head
And you’ve got nowhere to go
So you roll over and you stay
Beneath a blanket of sorrow
Try again tomorrow
For now just hide away…’
 
It’s a bleak approximation of mental illness, and one has to wonder where in fact King found his muse. The loss of his friend, the late Jackie Leven (given credit here for cowriting the song “Theory of Truthmakers”), may have something to do with his fatalistic attitude, but there’s clearly more to this shift in tone than shared sadness or suffering. The aforementioned “Weight of the World” speaks to the political upheaval that’s shaken citizenry of this country in particular, as expressed by a disillusioned voter who’s lost faith in the politician whose individual efforts were simply for self-gain.

It doesn’t take a lot of pondering to realize who he refers to.

Ultimately, The Struggle isn’t what one would call easy listening, and yet it’s a telling tome as well. It epitomizes what often passes as everyday existence in an era where uncertainty and upheaval seem to be the norm. The Struggle doesn’t make us feel any better about that plight, but it does help to realize that none of us have to feel like we’re in it all alone.
(By Lee Zimmerman)
 
Listen and buy the music of Michael Weston King from AMAZON
 
For more information and purchase options, please visit the Michael Weston King website

---