Audiopile Review: Folk music and poetry have long been intertwined, sure Leonard Cohen made some excellent sounding music, but it’s his words that really pushed his work over the edge into greatness. Similarly, Bill Direen’s neo-folk instrumentals on Dustbin of Empathy—crafted alongside Lambchop alumni Matt Swanson and Alex McManus—create are brimming with warm atmosphere, but it’s Direen’s narratives that truly set this record apart. With over 40 years of experience, Direen’s voice carries the weight of those decades, blending a Nick Cave-like sinister edge with a preacher’s intensity, while also echoing the weary tones of Johnny Cash’s late-career performances in his American Recordings era. Soft-spoken delicate folk songs, hints of breezy country, and ominous snarling rock passages keep us on our toes across the albums subtly varied tracklist. As a master of his craft, Direen has guided his Bilders project through various incarnations—different names, members, and sounds—yet he remains the unchanging core. In Bilders’ current form, Dustbin of Empathy is a new highlight for this ever-evolving project.

The NZ-American Bilders brings Matt Swanson (Lambchop, My Dad Is Dead) and Alex McManus (Vic Chesnutt, Lambchop) into the fold, all with acclaimed albums in their saddlebags. Quality production and mature song themes reflect a lot of pure experience. Dustbin of Empathy opens with a voyage across Europe and down the generations, a tribute to the small people who survive massive events. One tune has an anti-war bias. Peace! Another is a trip of a kind—”Angel (The Astronomer)” is an eerie voyage into the “sinuses” of space. Most of the tunes were co-written, a couple were penned by Direen alone. High quality recordings, and the pedigree of the musicians, should make this unexpected album a pearl of 2024. It is hard to choose a stand-out track for campus stations—alluring “Lately Rain”, epic “Citizens of Nowhere”, the harder edge of “Anvil Dark”, lap-steel engraved “Scaribus” or already WFMU-blooded “Custody of Love”? Pure quality to take you from Dustbin right the way back to Empathy.