The Wild

A Collection (2011)

Joe Pelone

Hailing from Atlanta, Ga., the folks that constitute the group the Wild sure do have a thing for folk-punk, as their recent compilation A Collection attests. With a loose, jangle-y style, this assortment of splits, live cuts and an EP add up to a strong, if somewhat homogeneous, showing.

Actually, calling the Wild "folk-punk" doesn't sound quite right. They're a folk band that just plays really fast. Check out a song like "They Too Will Know," for example. That track packs in loads of imagery and commentary akin to Woodie Guthrie. They wouldn't even sound out of place alongside Saddle Creek acts like Son, Ambulance and Bright Eyes circa I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning. These tunes have a straightforward earthiness to them, and I get the feeling the band could probably stomp them to the heavens live.

The lone drawback to A Collection is its lack of variety. A one-hour record of folk-punk can be a chore to get through after a while, and Collection is no exception. There comes a time when all the harmonica intros and earnest vox blur together between the songs and I can see beyond three dimensions, beyond time and emotion. Or maybe I just zone out. I don't know. Point is, Collection is good, but it could also use some diversity.

That said, this is a compilation. The record wasn't recorded all at once, so hoping for cohesion or inter-song dynamics isn't quite fair. As is, A Collection presents the Wild with a sturdy body of work. A little monochromatic perhaps, but these tunes are still solid.