Monday, March 29, 2004
I've been thinking about the Indigo Girls a lot lately. They were on a karaoke machine at a friend's party recently, and their playlist posted to iTunes a few weeks ago was pleasantly surprising: not only was it far more generous than most other celebrity playlists in the collection (20 recommended songs as opposed to the usual 10-12) but more adventurous (Heart, Patti Smith, classical, t.A.T.u, Team Dresch, The Distillers, The Shins, The Clash, etc.).
And they've released a strong new album, All That We Let In.
I was amazed by a few of the songs ("Yield," "Become You," "Moment of Forgiveness") on their previous album, Become You--upbeat, concise, exciting and a great update on their original sound. I haven't found a single song on this album up to the level of "Yield," but, what's just as exciting, this is the first Indigo Girls album in ages that I enjoy listening to all the way through. On the new album (with album art by an alternative comic guru Jaime Hernandez, reminiscent of Aimee Mann's recent Lost in Space) the Girls have continued refining the sound of Become You, freshening up their 2-part harmonies and folk-influenced sound, ranging from acoustic balladry to almost-rock anthems. My working thesis for the moment: the worst in politics has brought out the best in these musicians. Here they've written a couple of anthemic protest songs, but I'm pleasantly surprised by the complexity of the ideas (these lyrics won't fit on placards). ("Tether," as a meditation on war and peace, offers no easy answers. "Rise Up," to judge by the title, sounds like it'll be a tiresome political exhortation but is anything but--it's about, I think, an old hunting dog and the power of music?)
Personally, I prefer Amy Ray's work to Emily Saliers', even if Saliers will get them more airplay. Over their nearly two-decade career, Saliers' ballad formula's gotten tired, her music depressing and lyrics too often straining to be profound (though I imagine those are just the songs that are most prized by some fans). To her credit, here Saliers has her share of fun, with "Fill It Up Again" kicking off the album with a sense of wit. Saliers takes familiar 90s environmentalist metaphors and turns them into something personal and unique. The production of the entire album is light and fresh, with organ, piano, accordion and whimsical percussion used in a minimalist way to keep the sound bouncy and mellow. The sequencing (which alternates Saliers/Ray numbers) is inspired. Ray's best numbers are "Dairy Queen" and "Cordova," darker, more somber songs that show off her lower register and unique gift for melody (the verse for Dairy Queen, for instance, sounds like the work of someone used to singing alto harmonies), set to somewhat more rock-tinged accompaniment. I've always felt the best is yet to come from Any Ray, and that's an exciting thought, but on this album I really started to appreciate what her partnership with Saliers adds to her songwriting.
I'm looking forward to hearing what comes next.
