Do you like country music? Are you over the age of 60? If you answer no to either of those questions then you'll probably hate Tragic Songs Of Life. Well, maybe that's a bit strong. I answer no to both of those questions and I don't hate this album. Then again I recognize this music is just a product of its time- a more wholesome time when country music wasn't about dudebros drinking beer and driving pickup trucks with their girl.
Even if I don't hate this album I must admit this music can get quite grating. For one, there might as well be no breaks between the songs since I'm pretty sure they're all in the same key. Essentially The Louvin Brothers should have made this album one unbroken medley, or I guess two medleys since it was on vinyl. Most of these are traditional songs which follow easy progressions you could figure out on guitar in about 30 seconds. Half the songs are in 4 and half are in 3, and they usually alternate. Every song is played with an acoustic guitar pounding out the rhythm, a bass playing half notes, a slide electric adding standard country color, and a mandolin occasionally adding fast strumming chords. And then there's the Louvin Brothers' insanely nasal vocal style. Don't listen to this album if you have a migraine.
I was listening to this album on a constant stream that featured no breaks between the tracks. When the webpage crashed I had to reload it and try to figure out where I left off. It was essentially impossible, because except for the time signatures the songs all sound pretty much identical. So if you want to listen to Tragic Songs Of Life, feel free to start at any random point in the middle, listen to 2 minutes, and feel safe assuming the other 34 minutes sounds like that only 17 times longer. Just for fun I also listened to a random chunk of their 1958 album The Family Who Prays and it sounded pretty much the same. 2 stars.
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