These 13

The vocals are spot-on and so is the musicianship. [Apr 2021, p.82]

These 13 has little to do with Mathus and Bird recalling past glories, and much more to do with the beauty and mysteries of the music of the American South. Anyone who wonders why they love this stuff so much need only listen to this splendid album to find all the answers.

Throughout, Bird and Mathus span a wide swath of human experience, and the practiced ease with which they do so, and their easy rapport, suggest that maybe they ought to do this more often.

These 13 should appeal to a large audience, but it’s very different to some of Bird’s more mainstream work. Mathus and Bird expertly capture the folk tradition, and their respective skills and idiosyncrasies really find purchase in these beautiful, minimal tracks.

Bird can sound too clever, Mathus not clever enough. But These 13 allows each to compensate for the shortcomings of the other while playing up what makes them distinctive. Their voices and instruments combine effortlessly, like old friends getting together for coffee.

It’s the pair’s 25-year relationship that most radiantly shines through here, adding a relaxed and comfortable tone, as though you’ve walked in on their private back porch session. [May 2021, p.23]

Producer Mike Viola does a great job filling the frame with music but still allowing the sound to breathe. There is a sense of internal discipline. Both players let loose yet share an awareness of each other’s needs to be expressive. That allows the melodies to build atop each other. The songs don’t advance so much as find a stasis where both players hit a groove.