Recorded over three icy winter days in upstate New York, Gabriel Birnbaum’s latest solo work is, unsurprisingly, an unvarnished representation of the man as a songwriter. As a member of the indie rock outfit Wilder Maker and a producer and arranger for artists like Mutual Benefit and Wilder Maker bandmate Katie von Schleicher, The Patron Saint of Tireless Losers allows Birnbaum to let his singular vision shine. Not unlike his 2019 solo release Not Alone, it’s a rich, introspective, and sumptuous landscape of song.
The long wait between Not Alone and The Patron Saint of Tireless Losers has been tempered not only by his outside production work and various Wilder Maker activities but also his Nightwater series, charming and compulsively enjoyable lo-fi cassette releases available on his Bandcamp page. Birnbaum is a restless, prolific artist, and if you’re hankering for something with his fingerprints on it, he’s probably in the process of recording or releasing it as we speak. For The Patron Saint of Tireless Losers, he’s joined by Will Graefe and Adam Brisbin – both pulling double duty on guitar and bass – as well as Jason Nazary on drums.
It’s hard to pin down the sound Birnbaum is going for. There’s certainly a dash of Americana, and the vocals convey the gauzy folk sounds of Elliott Smith, but the pairing of this economical group of musicians with the rich storytelling and modern poetry of the lyrics make this one of Birnbaum’s strongest releases, as a solo artist or band member. “My father told me never grow old,” Birnbaum sings in the opening track, “Laughing Backwards”, “So I duck when I pass a mirror so I won’t let him down.” The languid tempo of the song recalls Neil Young at his most pastoral, with an atmosphere that recalls AM radio folk rock, complete with aching, subtle guitar leads.
While Graefe, Brisbin, and Nazary provide plenty of warm musical backing that meshes perfectly with Birnbaum’s vocals, they also give some of the songs a nuanced, ethereal feel, as on “A Drunk”, resulting in a gentle, almost tentative feel to the music. The fact that the musicians didn’t hear any of the songs prior to entering the studio seems somewhat apparent in these moments, but not in a clumsy, ill-prepared way. The way they lock into the music so loosely gives the performances an honest, deeply felt vibe, which also comes through on the sparse, acoustic guitar-driven “Perfect Again”.
The downbeat nature of much of the music here sometimes seems to be a direct contrast to the lyrical subject matter. For all its loping twang and muted brilliance, “See You Happy” is a direct statement on the uncomplicated happiness of a good relationship. “Wanna try for a long long time to see you happy,” Birnbaum sings, “Like I’m happy with you / Gonna try for a long long time / In the morning in the kitchen / Where the flame licks the iron.”
While love songs are often de rigueur in the pop/rock realm, Birnbaum approaches these topics as deftly as with anything else; he also offers up words from a variety of perspectives and excels at avoiding cliches. “Same as Me” puts the listener in the concert crowd as Birnbaum gauges audience reactions – something we’ve all done but have rarely heard expressed in song. Accompanied by a lilting, almost Band-like gait and Birnbaum’s electric piano figures, the closing track “Drinking Year” takes the oft-used subject of hangovers and turns it on its head, treating the event like a celebration and an acceptance that it will likely happen again many times.
Gabriel Birnbaum takes many aspects of rock, folk, and indie music that everyone is familiar with and subtly rearranges them in ways we never thought possible. On The Patron Saint of Tireless Losers, the simple, direct execution of the music is deceptive—this is music that will live long and gain repeated listens for years.