Modern music is littered with musicians from successful groups releasing solo albums and the drummer in particular often seems to get the short end of the critical straw when it comes to their efforts. Insert here – Phil Collins, Taylor Hawkins, Ringo Starr and Keith Moon. Occasionally a drummer gets it right and in the case of Joshua Tillman he has produced a gem.

The ‘drummer releases a solo album’ angle shouldn’t be exploited when reviewing Vacilando Territory Blues though it no doubt will be. J Tillman is of course the drummer for 2008’s indie darlings Fleet Foxes, joining them early last year just as they were standing on the cusp of greatness. Journalists should in fact be writing ‘solo artist becomes drummer’ as he has been releasing his own material since his first EP in 2006. After seeing the Fleet Foxes in concert it is apparent that he was recruited as much for his vocal harmonies as his drumming. His work behind the kit was solid though understated and he was more noticeable when the band came together to weave those special harmonies.

Tillman has issued 4 other albums in the last few years, mostly in limited runs or as digital releases. Vacilando Territory Blues will surely see him gain a much wider audience based on the Foxes connection and the mere fact of the record’s greatness.

Vacilando is a Spanish term that can mean a number of things.  Some use it in the context of hesitation or indecision but the great American author John Steinbeck wrote in 1962 (Travels With Charley: In Search Of America) “If one is vacilando, he is going somewhere, but does not greatly care whether or not he gets there, although he has direction. Everything in the world must have a design or the human mind rejects it. But in addition, it must have purpose or the human conscience shies away from it.” These musings sit comfortably with the whole mood and lyrical content of the album and on the final track ‘Vacilando Territory’ Tillman sums up this theme perfectly. ‘On that five day drive through the pan handle morning/all our plans were sitting on the skyline’.

This is one of those albums that you have to be in the right mood for. Like a vampire it does its best work after dark. It is at its most powerful when heard in solitude or with headphones and it creates such an intimate tone that you feel guilty if you don’t give it the respect it is due. Recently there has been a number of songwriters who have been able to capture a similar emotionally haunted feel. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Jason Molina and Phosphorescent are contemporaries who take the minimal approach and douse their songs in aching turmoil. Tillman does the same but there isn’t a feeling of pity that emerges from the songs, more a sense that he is working through the issues, analysing and reflecting on the paths his life has taken. In the stark and raw ‘No Occasion’ he sings “No occasion for regret or pride or fear” and “Memories are rebuilt from time to time to mark the days”.

‘First Born’ begins with wordless hums and harmonies over a bed of clanging drums and a naked guitar. It takes on a bluesy soul vibe as Tillman begins to sing before reaching a chorus of handclaps and a delicate and spare piano melody. It is a gloriously rich song that glows in its reverb and gives the aching heart strings a ghostly pull. In contrast to that track is ‘Steel On Steel’ which takes the melancholic sound and transforms it into an uplifting romp with pedal steel, clattering drums and Tillman sounding like a dead ringer for Ray LaMontagne. It is this song and also ‘New Imperial Grand Blues’ that temporarily lift the mood and tempo of the album. They are both placed at perfect points in the song cycle so as to inject some vigor and balance. Without them the record would be a grim and dark listening experience.

If you are a fan of Fleet Foxes there are elements of J Tillman’s music that are in that vein and which will gently pull you into the album. Pick the right mood and surroundings and you will put yourself in a position to be immersed in a stellar collection of stark and brooding songs written by someone who isn’t afraid to open his heart and bare his soul. It is a record that demands repeat listens and it is the calling card of yet another true musical talent.