If you wanted to raise objections to the music of the Strugglers, I could pretty much anticipate any critical move you might make against them: the pained tone, the confessional lyrics, the languid feel. But I find myself still loving this stuff. I first heard the Strugglers on the excellent compilation Songs for Another Place. They get extra points, I guess, for being from Carrboro, NC. Some singers have emotional reserve, and it’s admirable; one senses the mixed feelings, the reluctance to give in to the full nakedness of singing. But this guy’s voice is lovely in its discomfort, while still somehow being completely open even as he clamps himself shut with a whining moan. It may be a cliche for bands to write songs about the rootlessness, dislocation and loneliness of life on the road, but who hasn’t sat inside a moving vehicle and watched sadly as the scenery speeds by?
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