Highway Anxiety

Sore of face and fewer of teeth, the deed is done. The fear and dread that had, totally illogically, built up in my mind for over 30 years was dispelled with 20 short minutes of exemplary and professional oral surgery. Of course what I should have done following that one terrifying experience, way back in 1983, was immediately go out and find a new dentist - I'd never had a problem with any of the check-ups, fillings or extractions that I'd endured up to that point in my life. But I didn't. I let the memory fester and build to a ludicrous degree. Irrational anxiety has a lot to answer for.

And if that sounds like a cue for a song, you're dead right. A couple of weeks ago, I began jotting down a few of my favourite albums from the first half of 2016 and 'Modern Country' by William Tyler featured prominently on that list. Tyler's third release on Merge Records (there are further recordings dotted around on other labels) is a fabulous instrumental work that moves effortlessly from Philip Glass-like chiming on 'Gone Clear' to screaming feedback on 'The Great Unwind', via the acoustic fingerpicking of 'Kingdom of Jones'. It's an organic, embracing listen and comes highly recommended. The lovely 'Highway Anxiety' opens proceedings.