The Top 10 of 2009: Number Seven…
The only real surprise about Wino‘s Punctuated Equilibrium (Southern Lord) being on this list is that it’s not in the top five, top three, or top one. Being the nerd I am for the work of guitarist/vocalist Scott “Wino” Weinrich, even I expected a higher showing from this first “solo” album. Weinrich, along with Clutch drummer Jean-Paul Gaster and Rezin‘s Jon Blank (since deceased) on bass, crafted a rock album that was both emotionally gripping and full of the kind of mind-boggling guitar work the cult of Wino has come to expect.
Songs ranged from the fast and aggressive title track to the sunnier “Smiling Road” and the doomier “Eyes of the Flesh,” always maintaining the natural flow that Weinrich has brought to the songwriting in bands like Spirit Caravan and The Hidden Hand. As a vehicle for him to shine, in Wino, he did.
So what’s the deal? Why isn’t Punctuated Equilibrium higher on the list? Well, if this was some feigned effort at impartiality — that is, if I was going to do a would-be definitive list; inevitably a work of bullshit — it probably would be higher. As it is, though, Weinrich appeared on another album this year that I wound up listening to more than this one (we’ll get there, don’t worry). It has nothing to do with the value of either record, just the way it happened, and it would be dishonest of me to act according to anything else.
In the end, although I feel a little guilty about its placement, the fact that Punctuated Equilibrium came out on Jan. 20 and is still up front in my consciousness as regards rating albums should say something about the lasting quality of the work. This is one that, after I’ve put other albums away over the course of their novelty having worn off, I’ll go back to. True to his character and track record, Wino proved once more why he’s earned so many followers over the course of his decades in this genre.
Tags: Top 10 of 2009, Wino
