I had the pleasure of catching Alela Diane in Chicago recently, opening for Blitzen Trapper. Oz had been talking up Alela and her debut, A Pirate’s Gospel, for quite some time but it fell on deaf ears. I’d read comparisons to Joanna Newsom (not a huge fan) and immediately stopped paying attention.
As the show drew closer I downloaded Alela Diane’s latest album, To Be Still, and was immediately overwhelmed by her voice. As it turns out, her sound is a perfect match for her appearance. I hate to use to term “hippie” because its somewhat trite, but her natural beauty and vocals lead me to imagine myself listening to this album in field of wildflowers. It’s an amazing thing to have low expectations for an album and then walk away completely blown away.
After downloading A Pirate’s Gospel only the week before, I couldn’t have been prepared for the understated brilliance that Diane delivers on To Be Still. The opening track, “Dry Grass And Shadows,” has some laid back pedal-steel that subtlety permeates the tune and is absolutely hypnotizing. Alela’s father, Tom Menig, sings harmony on “Age Old Blue” a couple songs later and the the contrast of his weathered voice against Alela’s is something special.
To Be Still has a timeless feel to it. It sounds like it could have been released 30 years ago while still sounding very relevant to today. It’s one of the best releases of the year.
The Veils are back with the release of their third album, Sun Gangs, on the Rough Trade label, which is anticipated to be out on April 7. The Veils are the product of one Finn Andrews, son of a member of XTC, but the music has few similarities to that epic ‘80s electronica band. In fact, Andrews’ artistry seems to have been more influenced by the great singer-songwriters, Dylan, Waits and Leonard Cohen. Graham Sutton, whose works include The British Sea Power, amongst others, produced the album.
The album has been described as desolate, romantic and anguished, all of which seem to be appropriate adjectives. At first listen, and much like the predecessor album, this sounds more than a little like Nick Cave and it’s not just the occasional religious imagery in the lyrics. The first track, and in my opinion the best, “Sit Down By The Fire”, is equal parts ballad and anthem and could very well offer up a modern commentary on the state of the world today. “’Sit Down By The Fire’ is about watching something collapse, and it being quite pretty to look at,” offers Andrews.
Other keepers included the title track and “Killed By The Boom”, which bears the closest resemblance to some of Cave’s work. All three of these songs offer up a rather eclectic mix and lead one to the conclusion that this is indeed an ambitious, if not terribly uplifting, record. Nonetheless, I found it rather enjoyable.
