Porter's rocky take on Americana owes much to Whiskeytown's Ryan Adams and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy.
He hails from rural Oklahoma and is now based in San Francisco. This is his sophomore album, the follow up to his debut LP, Judah's Gone.
As you might imagine, Porter reminisces over lost loves and, in the case of Chris Bell, to lost heroes. This single is a eulogy to the Big Star leader who died in a car accident aged 27.
Bell's untimely passing at this ill-fated age places him in the notorious club of dead pop stars alongside the likes of Cobain, Hendrix, Jim Morrson etc. and accounts for the album title.
With songs like I Know You're Gonna Leave Me and Love Me Like I'm Not Around the singer reveals himself to be something of a failure and a fatalist when it comes to romance.
A possible clue as to why he frequently winds up feeling lonesome lies the manic Twist and Shout style You Only Talk About Your Band, the title of which is self explanatory.
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Whatever the cause of his flawed track record, his conclusion is "love is a game I never win" (Couer D'Alene) .
Personally, I reckon he needs to work on his chat-up technique since a line like "your love would warm me better than a beer" (There To Here) is unlikely to melt hearts.
The heartache gives him plenty to write and sing about and if it's solid Country-Rock (with a bit of 'Alt.') you're looking for, this should fit the bill nicely.
Hidden Trail Records' website
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