The Welcome Wagon
Welcome to the Welcome Wagon
Rating: 4.5
Label: Asthmatic Kitty Records
I attended a wedding once, where the priest spoke about sin and hell found inside those doubting Jesus and his pals. I remember such discomfort fighting with my desire to feel pleasure in the uniting of two young lovers testifying their commitment to one another. I spent much of my life equating religious institutions with songs and food. As a child, if I remained to the end of the service, I was rewarded with dry cake and fake wine.
Imagine a car trip full of a chorus of voices, horns and strings replacing called-out license plates. Are we there yet? replaced by an angelic repetition of that you’re not alone. In Welcome to the Welcome Wagon, the debut album of the Reverend Thomas Vito Aiuto and wife Monique’s band, The Welcome Wagon, a sensation of journey is maintained throughout. It is a compliment to their faith, however, that there is never a feeling of exclusion to those lacking in spirituality or hours spent shifting and swaying in churches. The Reverend brings an element of poetry and biblical reference along with everyday thoughts and reflections, allowing room for those willing to join in and sing or chant along.
“Sold! To the Nice Rich Man” is a stand out track incorporating the melodic and pure voice of Sufjan Stevens, who joins Aiuto on several more tracks and acts as producer. “Sold!” is a full band jamboree of electric guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, bells and horns helping out the biblically charged “There goes the ark/ Here comes the dark” lyric. Stevens is clearly more than just an influence; when attempting to describe The Welcome Wagon, he says, “[they] reside in the fussy category called ‘church music’”. If they are to remain in a category, then Stevens can be interpreted as the cool, younger preacher who comes into town and reformats the outdated texts and expired hymns.
Covering the Velvet Underground’s “Jesus”, the Reverend sings, “Jesus/ Help me find my/ Proper place” with an ensemble of followers echoing his pleas. This is a simple song, yet through its echoing of words and calls out to Jesus, it becomes an open-ended letter incorporating instruments of sound imprinting the air, rather than ink against paper. There is a sincere beauty in the effortlessness that comes from their voices uniting; the metaphors are not abstract or outstanding in design, but like most sacred songs, the deep meanings come from within–from the tongues forming the sounds together.
Meanwhile, “You Made My Day” creates an up-and-down rhythm using horns and harmonica. It is easy to get hypnotized by the tempo and swinging of notes, but when listening to the lyrics, the listener is brought into a dream. To be called out of one’s deepest thoughts, “Your voice said that I’m not alone/ Like the man used to say/ You made my day.” The instruments thoroughly compliment the essence of uncomplicated yet enchanting vocalization.
There is never a feeling of over-produced tracks or a need for fancy dubbing. The Welcome Wagon is an undiluted example of simplicity; the beauty of married instruments and voices without a sense of over-shadowed upstaging. If church sounded like this, I might go. These words may not be new or profound, however, musically there is a sense of reforming the structure of prayer through intense belief. This album is a reminder that religion does not have to point fingers or force inclusion or rather, flaunt exclusion. I almost forgot that this could even be classified as “church music”, instead getting lost inside their wholesome voices.
by Aimee Herman
