Modern indie rock troubadours that sound weary, but not angst-ridden, and tender, but not twee are a rare breed, indeed, and that’s probably why Matthew Houck has in the time since his 2000 debut as Fillup Shack ("Hipolit") become a connoisseur’s choice in the genre.
Recording as Phosphorescent — a Brooklyn-based collective for which he is the only constant member but in the past has drawn in everyone from Castanets and Jana Hunter to the Dirty Projectors to collaborate — Houck’s high-and-lonesome tenor is the focus for twangy, folk-country gems that are as ingratiating as they are pensive.
Phosphorescent songs are trance-like; even his sleepiest and most inexpressive material seems to find its way in. But for his latest Phosphorescent album, it was Houck who let in someone else’s songs.
To Willie, released last month on Dead Oceans, is an eleven-song salute to Willie Nelson that Houck fashioned in the style of 1977’s "To Lefty From Willie," which Nelson used in tribute to a then-recently-deceased Lefty Frizzell. You won’t find "Whiskey River" and "Good Hearted Woman" here, though — Houck’s selections are purely esoteric, and for that reason, a little more interesting in what they recall about their author and what they say about their interpreter.
We caught up with Houck just before he kicked off a March tour in support of "To Willie," which will include several showcases at South by Southwest.
Why was now the best time to release an album of Willie Nelson songs?
It was never a conscious choice. I didn’t have to sit down and figure it out that way. These songs were ones that had stuck with me for years, but I got the spark to do it when I saw that record "To Willie From Lefty," and that was only a few years ago. It was never something I was actively thinking about — it just clicked: this would be the perfect form for this. 
How did you decide to go with more obscure Willie Nelson songs over, say, a covers album of his best-knowns?
Well, outside of that concept for a record, it’s not one of my favorite albums Willie’s recorded. It was just the concept of it that really clicked for me — I mean it’s sort of not Willie Nelson’s greatest hits or anything like that, but for me, they are. I didn’t go digging for obscure songs — these are the ones that are my favorites.
What are the particulars of a song like "Reasons to Quit" or "Too Sick to Pray" that really appeal to you?
It’s always such a vague thing, and I never know how to parse it down that way beyond saying wow, that song’s amazing. I’ve obviously tried a bunch of times to find some way to halfway intelligently talk about the songs like that, but it stops very quickly. I don’t know quite how to do so.
Fair enough. How did you know when you had enough material? Why 11 songs?
We recorded 11, and I had the intention of cutting one to keep pace with the fact that "To Lefty" was 10 songs. That would have been a nice way to dovetail it, but I think they’re all really something special.
Do you think it’s the bittersweetness in Willie’s songs that get to you? Maybe the tragic, lonely stuff that’s sort of leavened with occasional, twisted humor? I mean, you have a song like "I Gotta Get Drunk" that’s pretty sad when you get underneath it, but whose narrator, in describing his adventures, is also very funny in a self-effacing way.
For whatever reason, to me it’s just a very noble kind of singer — a certain majesty in the way he carries the songs, even when dealing with pretty heavy subjects. He kind of just shoulders it all with certain kind of strength, and that’s what’s always spoken to me.
What else are you working on this year?
We’re going out for this March tour in the States and then we’ll be back in New York to get started on the next proper Phosphorescent record. And after that, I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen.
You’ve always had a changing list of collaborators in Phosphorescent, but you’ll be keeping the ‘To Willie’ band for the tour and for the next album. Craving a more stable lineup?
Yeah, I think it’s still figuring itself out. I think we’ve got such a good lineup with this band, and the possibilities are really endless. Everybody’s so good and this batch of new songs, I think they’re going to be a perfect mix between [2007’s] ‘Pride’ and ‘To Willie.’ But that could change completely.
