Buffalo Nichols is nothing if not blunt. He and his former musical partner, Joanna Rose, performed what is still the single best musical critique of the supposed safe haven of the Americana genre. He had no problem putting on the record that their performance at Americanafest left them flat broke. So I don’t know why I thought The Fatalist would be anything other than a sucker punch, but there it is. Nichols has punched up the blues into something that feels translated to our current times, with brutal verses of loneliness and alienation.
Each song feels distinct and self-contained, a mini-universe of its own. What’s notable, of course, is Nichols’ playing. “You’re Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond” features spiraling acoustic picking that almost feels like a sitar. Layered with sounds and samples as Nichols lays his heart bare, with the guitar crying right alongside him. On “Love Is All,” the whooping guitar loop makes it seem as if the instrument is an extension of Nichols’ body. We also find Nichols weaving drum and banjo samples throughout the album, locating blues music in modern musical language.
Thematically, we see Nichols wrestling with his optimism amidst disappointment and loneliness. On “Turn Another Stone” there is a sweetness tinged with acid; this is not a homecoming song in spite of its jaunty nature. “The Difference” and “The Fatalist Blues” are devastating takedowns of the people and institutions who have let Nichols down, even as he strives to move forward. The steady grumble of Nichols’ voice as he delivers these pronouncements of hope — and hope in vain — serve as both a balm and an ominous prophecy.
There’s no lessons on The Fatalist. Nichols struggles with the tension between fighting against his circumstances and making peace with what’s in front of him. While there might be no lessons, though, there is one strong message: the resolve to carry on no matter what.