A.V. Club: Best of the Decade

Artist Centro-Matic

  • Matt Pence

A sleeper songwriter adored by many who idealize the lot of the “sleeper songwriter,” Will Johnson has built Centro-Matic into a forceful band without trying too hard—surprising, given that the group records and tours with due diligence. It tends toward good, honest rock with a fuzzed-up twang and plain, piercing songs—a simple formula with a lot of staying power. For more than a decade, the Texan songsmith has built a sturdy catalogue using grit, bits of twang, and whatever rusty implements were hanging from his tool belt. If he’s a craftsman more than an artist, he also has the capacity to pound out real dynamism and pathos.

Updated 05/06/2009

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