Stick Season (Forever)
Stick Season is controversial. Some love Noah Kahan, others can’t stand him. He frequently strikes some as untalented, boring, disingenuous. Objctively, I disagree with all of the above. Kahan is bursting with talent. He writes and sings more beautifully and effortlessly than many, many folk artists. Its impossible to be bored while listening to this well-produced 20-track record full of highs and lows, moments of tension and tears, times of fighting and forgiveness. Stick Season keeps you breathing, keeps you thinking, keeps you on the edge of your seat. And not a damn thing about him is fake. His lyrics and vocals prove how effortless folk storytelling is for him. The hurt in his voice, in his words, show that every experience he sings about comes from deep within him. He has lived the stories he shares. But don’t take it from me, take it from Post Malone, Lizzy McAlpine, Kacey Musgraves, Hozier, Gracie Ambrams, Sam Fender, Brandi CarlileGregory Alan Isakov - all of which who revered Kahan’s music enough to jump on the deluxe version as features.
Certainly, I can understand why the virality of Stick Season turned many off from Noah Kahan. His overnight fame made him appear to many as some corny songwriting internet darling with overpriced concert tickets. And while I understand being irked by the internet fame, I remained a listener throughout because of the quality of his songs. Some have said that liking Noah Kahan boils down to listening in the right time at the right place. For me, this feels true. I came across the record at a time when it hit home, meaning the songs connected with me on an emotional plane that they have remained on ever since. If you don’t like Stick Season, don’t write it off. It might find you down the road.
Ultimately, what I like about Stick Season is how the melodies, songwriting, and storytelling varies so dramatically from track-to-track. For sticking mostly to vocals and guitar, Kahan did a great job of creating an atmosphere in each song. There are gloomy songs, hopeful ones, honest ones and wishful ones. There is darkness and there is airy, windy stomp-and-holler ballads. Kahan has a real edge for evoking emotion. Moreover, I deeply appreciate the variety of topics that Kahan explores here: from family, to friends, from lovers, to loss, Kahan writes eloquently about alcohol, addiction, suicide, death, and the Earth. He is raw and authentic but wildly catchy. His verses are uniquely beautiful, his choruses tell stories. Through feeling what it feels like to spend time in Kahan’s small town (and all the baggage that comes with it), Stick Season makes us feel truly close to Kahan.
