Lullaby for the Working Class
I Never Even Asked For Light

The story of Lullaby For The Working Class begins in the mid-90s in Nebraska, specifically in the state capital, Lincoln. Here, three young men in their early twenties meet and form a band: the first, Ted Stevens, is a classic guitar-and-voice songwriter reminiscent of the folk-country tradition, while the other two, Mike and A.J. Mogis, are musician brothers and owners of a small recording studio.

This is the core of a band that, in the short timeframe of its existence, released three albums before disbanding at the dawn of the new millennium. The second of these three albums is “I Never Asked For Light,” which maintains the stylistic continuity with their debut “Blanket Warm.” Acoustic pearls of rare delicacy penned by Stevens, on which Mike Mogis builds arrangements, also strictly acoustic, embellished with banjo, mandolin, glockenspiel, kalimba, and various keyboards. Completing the mix are strings and winds, used skillfully, never becoming childish or intrusive.

The artistic partnership between Stevens and Mogis might remind some of Wilco's early period: the collaboration between Jeff Tweedy and Jay Bennett (later departed from the group and passed away some time ago), a pairing that produced works like “Being There,” “Summerteeth,” and the already mentioned “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.” But the parallel ends here, as the Lullaby For The Working Class of Ted Stevens and Mike Mogis are far removed from both the alt-country-rock of early Wilco and the more pop-oriented Wilco of later works.

The compositions by Lullaby are tender rural lullabies. Melancholic and calm ballads sometimes enriched by ambient sounds (rain and birdsong in “Untitled”; the sea waves – in Nebraska? – and an airplane engine in “The Man vs. The Tide”). Melancholic and disillusioned lyrics sung by Stevens’ voice, serving as a meeting point between Jeff Mangum and Elliott Smith; lyrics that never quite reach the dramatics of other 'made in USA' singers of the nineties (notably Mark Kozelek).

An underrated and mostly unknown band, whose influence on the current alt-folk scene is undeniable: just think of Bright Eyes, Okkervil River, Decemberists. A musical journey that, although limited to just one decade, managed to reach peaks with two splendid albums like “Blanket Warm” and “I Never Asked For Light.”