Boy oh boy... this is a definitive example of an album that should be on this list because I've never heard of David Ackles and I am so glad to hear this before I die! I put this on while trying to work and ended up following along to the lyrics - completely rapt! American Gothic is a searing opening giving us a glimpse into a very dysfunctional marriage. Then Love's Enough follows up with an absolutely beautiful description of falling in love. Pessimistic optimism is a tough wire to walk but Ackles is a master of it. Ballad of the Ship of State is fantastically arranged tragic tale of rescue that leaves you feeling there is no rescue to be had, even if they take you on board. One Night Stand is such a beautiful, perfect song about a beautiful, perfect, fleeting moment that despite everything can never be sustained. There's something truly special about those feelings and this song brought me back to them. Oh, California! doesn't hide it's dark message very well, underpinned as it is with its environmental warning. Add this to my soundtrack for the fall of civilization. Another Friday Night sums up a good portion of my past Friday nights... there were times in my life when this might have made a great signature song... Have I longed for the days when I had religious faith and lived with my family? Simpler times, when things seem so much less complicated? Perhaps less so now that I realized what an illusion that was, but Family Band really captures that wistful feeling. Midnight Carousel is incredibly arranged! And the lyrics! "He left her by the road alone. But that road was going somewhere Worth the price there was to pay." Waiting for the Moving Van captures that crumbling-dream feeling that overtakes us at some of those pivotal moments in life. I'm used to the feeling now but this song poked that wound just a little - and David Ackles reminds me of my humanity yet again. Blues for Billy Whitecloud is perhaps the happiest sounding and most disturbing songs on the album. A rough one... Several months ago I was in Montana and started digging around into some boxes of family photos and heirlooms left to my family from my uncle. Montana Song couldn't have captured that feeling of revisiting my past any better. What a grand way to close this incredible album. After over 900 days of listening to albums on this project a jaded feeling that I've heard it all creeps in... Then something like this appears... So completely unexpected - David Ackles has reconnected me with a lot of feelings today and left me strangely hopeful about life.