Louisiana-based Americana duo Clay Parker and Jodi James muse on the forlorn nature of rejection and missed alternatives on the breezy “Nothing at All,” presenting a groovier tackle the basic singer-songwriter sound. 

“Nothing at All” – Clay Parker and Jodi James

Tright here’s a sure sort of magic and refinement to the thought of music made minimally: In sparse rooms, with simply two guitars and two voices harmonizing, flourishing off of one another’s power. There’s a straightforwardness that belies the sophistication of a duo who’ve taken care to make every stark aspect stand by itself. When you possibly can convey a way of workmanship and mastery over your craft this fashion, there’s no want for frills or gildings. Clay Parker and Jodi James seize this sense with their genre-blending model of sonic storytelling.

Atwood Journal is proud to premiere the official music video for “Nothing At All” from Baton Rouge-based Americana duo Clay Parker and Jodi James. The monitor invokes the incendiary spirit of their very first collaborations, and the 2 musicians current a deftness of uncooked and real sound, delivering a poignant tackle the basic acoustic, folky singer/songwriter construction.

This single comes from their upcoming second album, Your Very Personal Dream, out January 19. “Nothing At All” encapsulates the sensation of driving alongside the rattle-gravel roads of some run-of-the-mill nation city, current within the liminal house between the place you’re heading and the place you’ve simply been.

I see your eyes in passing vehicles
Images and crowded bars
Within the blue blue sky
And within the black of evening

And oh how the deal went ‘spherical and ‘spherical
‘Til someplace all of the mud settled down
And coated all of the land
And all of the bushes

Clay Parker and Jodi James’ artistic partnership spans again almost a decade.

Earlier than their creative paths converged in Baton Rouge, the musicians roamed as lone troubadours, every growing their particular person sound, earlier than coming collectively in late 2014 after many long-distance co-writing collaborations. Their concord resides of their means to accord their very own personalities whereas creating one thing contemporary and frequently evolving.

On “Nothing At All,” a comfortable drum beat buoys the guitars whereas James fantastically croons over missed connections and the remorse that usually accompanies them. Parker’s skillful solos evoke the soundtracking of a leisurely backroads sojourn; the music’s album art work speaks to this sense of transferring, ambulation, and movement, depicting a view of an evening drive by an unfocused windshield, taillights, streetlights, and street indicators simply barely distinguishable. This muddled visage underscores the anomaly of the lyrics.

I’d’ve got here
Should you would’ve known as
Extra of the identical
Nothing in any respect
Oh nothing in any respect

So I’m enjoying all the identical unhappy tunes
After which January turns to June
And all of the winter coats
Are all boxed up

James tells Atwood Journal, “I suppose this music is about rejection and resolve. Rejection remembers… that previous feeling was the muse for a wholesome portion of my solo work and I needed to revisit the melodrama of a few of these older themes. The singer on this music is a hesitant one, and that push and pull to have interaction then withdraw grew to become so completely palpable when Clay began enjoying these guitar strains. And our two voices usually are not singular sounding, however they transfer along with a wholesome allowance of house between. We felt prefer it labored.”

The questions requested within the music’s second half illustrate the gravity of this push and pull, extra like a hesitancy, vacillating between a refusal and a decision.

Is there no hint left behind?
Is it gone, past all house and time?
I watched it spin and spin
For years on finish

As famous by Extensive Open Nation, Clay Parker and Jodi James are “an instance of two succesful solo acts combining forces to find new methods to rejoice regional roots sounds whereas creating one thing markedly trendy.”

Even whereas having shelved the normal acoustic preparations of their earlier releases, The Lonesomest Sound That Can Sound (2018), and their self-titled debut EP (2016), the result’s equal elements plaintive people existentialism and fever-dream ballad with a wholesome serving of blues sensibility.

To that impact, Parker tells Atwood, “We knew from the get-go that we needed to report [“Nothing At All”] with a groove, which isn’t very typical for us. We hardly ever write our duo songs with out no less than just a little little bit of collaboration, however “Nothing At All” is one which Jodi had fully completed earlier than she introduced it to me. We have been recording a couple of tunes for [Your Very Own Dream] at Ryan Tharp’s studio in Fort Value with Clint Kirby (drums) and Dave Hinson (bass), and that is the primary one we reduce collectively. These guys instantly locked into the sound we have been listening to all alongside.”

Some rags will wash out clear
You simply throw ‘em on this large machine
And every part is new
And shiny once more

I’d’ve got here
Should you would’ve known as
Extra of the identical
Nothing in any respect
Oh nothing in any respect

Parker and James appear simply as at residence on pageant phases or below theater lights as they’re in intimate listening rooms or live performance homes, they usually instinctively regulate their dynamic to suit the event.

The music’s music video displays this intelligent simplicity. They stroll into the room, unlatch their guitar circumstances, plug into their amps, and start. Closeups of the 2 present a little bit of intimacy for the viewer, and provides one thing instantly personable, such as you’re actually attending to know them. They sit nose to nose whereas they play, much less of a confrontation and extra of a melding of the minds. This setup evokes the sensation of two kindred spirits riffing off each other: unadorned and uncomplicated, fully zeroed in on the storytelling.

Your Very Personal Dream is out January 19, 2024, you possibly can pre-save the album right here. Watch and stream “Nothing At All” solely on Atwood Journal!

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“Nothing at All” – Clay Parker and Jodi James

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