Corin Tucker has never been shy about expressing her opinions through music. But like most longtime songwriters, she has also written her share of tunes where the true meaning is veiled by symbolism, poetic license, or willful obfuscation.
Now, however, is not the time to be subtle, according to Tucker, whoâs also the lead singer and co-founder of the local supergroup Filthy Friends. âItâs really time,â she says during a recent phone interview, âto stand up and be counted right now.â
That explains why Filthy Friendsâ new album, Emerald Valley, is a collection of rock songs that are remarkable for their clarity of purpose. Across 10 tracks, Tucker mostly trades metaphors and wordplay for plainspoken lyrics about the 2016 Standing Rock protests (âspoil the land and the people canât liveâ from âPipelineâ), gentrification and income inequality (âRents sky high, vacancy low/Too many find they have nowhere to goâ from âOne Flew Eastâ), the Trump administrationâs family separation policy (âThe suffering of angels, torn apart by fools/From the arms of mothers, fathersâ from âAngelsâ), and the plight of migrant workers (âWorkers come to start their day/Back-breaking work for little payâ from the title track), among other topics.
Tucker says her lyrics on Emerald Valley âhappened organicallyâ based on what was going through her mind at the time of writing. And in some cases, what was going through her mind was influenced directly by what was going on around her.
âThe amount of wildfires weâve had the past couple summers, I remember recording and being not able to breathe because of the smoke in Portland,â she says. âTo me, itâs like if something is on my mind, it will also come out in a song. And it just naturally did really strongly this time.â
Filthy Friends is not just the Corin Tucker Show, of course. The band is an all-star cast of veteran Northwest rockers, including bassist Scott McCaughey (the Minus 5, Young Fresh Fellows), guitarist Kurt Bloch (Fastbacks, Young Fresh Fellows), and drummer Linda Pitmon (Steve Wynn & The Miracle 3), who replaced Bill Rieflin (Ministry, King Crimson) between the release of Filthy Friendsâ debut, Invitation, in 2017, and Emerald Valley. And then thereâs Tuckerâs co-founder and collaborator, former R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, who helps out with themes and lyrics, but mostly contributes his distinctive riffs and tones to the project.
âEmerald Valley,â for example, is an unhurried bluesy jam with a squealing psychedelic guitar solo. The punky âLast Chance Countyâ is built on chunky chords and comes closest to the sound of Tuckerâs longtime band Sleater-Kinney. âOnly Lovers Are Brokenâ kicks off with some warm, familiar R.E.M.-style jangle. And the guitars on âNovember Manâ resemble hot needles and roaring buzz saws, which match up nicely with the anti-Trump vitriol in the lyrics.
âNovember Manâ also happens to be the song that Buck was most involved in thematically. âI never need to worry that Iâm being too political or something for Peter,â Tucker says. âHeâs really supportive of my lyrics. He really he gets what Iâm trying to say, but mostly heâs just supportive of what I do.â
And what Tucker wants to do at this point in her career is offer a voice for the voicelessâthe land, people, culture, a city, all hurting under the weight of policies and practices driven by greed.
âI just feel like we are in crisis in this country more than Iâve ever felt in my lifetime, and so in a way it seems like a natural response to me as a writer to write about these things,â she says.
âI honestly wasnât that conscious about it, but I do feel... like I have no interest in being subtle or obscure or playing it cool,â she continues. âI feel like itâs pretty extreme, what weâre going throughâso Iâm pretty fired up and I feel like this is my opportunity to speak my mind and say what I have to say.â
The early response to Emerald Valley has convinced Tucker that people want to hear someone speaking truth to power, loudly and clearly. In turbulent times, there is comfort in shared experiences, thereâs strength in numbers, and thereâs power in music that doesnât mince words.
âOne thing Iâve noticed is that people appreciate you being direct and saying what you have to say,â she says. âSometimes people say to me, âArenât you just preaching to the choir?â But you know what? Sometimes we all need to sing along, even if everyone in the room feels the same way. Weâre going through these things that are pretty intense and sometimes itâs okay just to mark the time that youâre living in with a song.â