Album Reviews

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This article was published 12/04/2024 (903 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ROCK / AMERICANA

Waxahatchee

Tigers Blood (Anti-)

Someone on X recently said Waxahatchee was having a “moment” because of the response to and exposure generated by the keening chorus and sweet banjo melody of the song Right Back to It, the soaring first single from Katie Crutchfield’s sixth full-length album, Tigers Blood.

And… yes, Crutchfield is certainly in the spotlight right now, but this isn’t her first “moment,” as her last record was what initially brought her work into sharper focus. A collection of confessional songs, written in the wake of new sobriety, Saint Cloud sounded like the plaintive cries of a poet blinking in the sunlight after years spent in a murky gloom. Naturally enough, it was at or near the top of most critics’ Top 10 lists in 2020 — a year when most of us yearned for light amid the darkness.

Tigers Blood is thus a long-and-much-awaited followup, so it’s heartening to see Crutchfield has hit the ground running with this 11-song collection. She and longtime producer Brad Cook opted to record once again at Sonic Ranch, a live-in studio near El Paso, Texas, but, rather than simply hit “repeat” they brought in guitarist MJ Lenderman (from Wednesday), built a band, which also includes drummer Spencer Tweedy, and leaned heavily into a gentle, Southern-tinged rock groove which permeates every aspect of this record, from its slower, acoustic-based songs to its Petty- and R.E.M.-adjacent rock numbers.

If the musical vibe is comfortable, the revelatory moments of Tigers Blood are found in the imagistic poetry of Crutchfield’s lyrics, in which she seems to be considering the life of an artist and the meaning of success (Evil Spawn), the foibles of overthinking (Bored) and, more than anything else, the emotional and intellectual to-and-fro of being entangled in the mix of expectation and truth that is a long-term relationship (3 Sisters, Right Back to It, Ice Cold, Lone Star Lake, Crimes of the Heart and the rousing title track are all essential listens).

For his part, Lenderman is a perfect foil, as his expressive, understated guitar parts burnish Crutchfield’s acoustic melodies and his earnest harmonies perfectly complement Katie’s twangin’ alto on Evil Spawn, Right Back to It and Burns Out at Midnight. Together, they’ve created something momentous. ★★★★½ out of five

Stream: Evil Spawn; Right Back to It; 365.

— John Kendle

ROCK

Bleachers

Bleachers (Bleachers Band)

Self-titled albums are the traditional way for a musical act to introduce themselves. Here I am, they say — here’s where it starts. So what are we to make of Bleachers’ new album, their fourth and self-titled?

It signals that Bleachers is a rebirth of sorts. Singer-songwriter Jack Antonoff — the accomplished multi-instrumentalist, Grammy-winning super-producer and New Jersey cool kid — offers a mature, kaleidoscopic 14 tracks, with turns into softer directions and styles.

If Bleachers in the past was all angsty attitude, barrelling down the Garden State Parkway with a middle finger through the sunroof, this time Bleachers is cuddling on the sofa. “I’ll make your bed/I’ll make your home,” Antonoff sings in the Beatles-esque Woke Up Today. Tiny Moves, with its ’80s synth could be on the Pretty in Pink soundtrack, while Self Respect mixes the chilliness of the National with the bombast of the Killers. Antonoff mimics the 1975 in the superb Call Me After Midnight.

The album highlight is the ambitious Hey Joe, a sort of 2024 response to Simon & Garfunkel’s Mrs. Robinson, with Antonoff talking across generations, discussing war and fathers and Marilyn Monroe. “We tried giving peace a chance but didn’t know what it is,” he sings.

Antonoff’s clout is subtly shown with his collaborators: Lana Del Rey and Florence Welch offer vocals and co-write on a song each, Matt Healy from the 1975 plays piano on another with Aaron Dessner from the National as co-writer.

Antonoff’s recent marriage to Margaret Qualley may have re-centred him — Me Before You is a Streets of Philadelphia-style look back at a man who has new perspective. There is a happy domesticity throughout the album, and Qualley’s voice is embedded in a track.

The album careens off a cliff at the end, with the final three tracks meandering, self-indulgent messes with distorted vocals. That means the album ends with a whine, which is a pity. Antonoff has finally pushed past his Bruce Springsteen worship and found new ways to express himself. He’s earned the self-title. ★★★½ out of five

Stream: Hey Joe; Self Respect

— Mark Kennedy

JAZZ

Ernesto Cervini’s Turboprop

A Canadian Songbook (TPR)

While trained on several other instruments, Ernesto Cervini is best known as a drummer. He is also the leader of several terrific Toronto-based bands, of which Turboprop is one. Turboprop was here last June for jazz fest and wowed everyone.

This album cements the maturity and close partnership between all the members: Tara Davidson on alto, Joel Frahm on tenor, William Carn on trombone, Adrean Farrugia on piano and Dan Loomis on bass, along with Cervini on drums. The three horns add a neat sound to the overall mix.

As the album title suggests, Cervini is expressing his avowed love for Canada and wish to support Canadian music. All the tracks here are written by Canadians — from classical ukulele player James Hill (Skeletons) to the Barenaked Ladies (When I Fall) to rock band Our Lady Peace (Clumsy) to saxophonist Alison Au (Aureole). There is wonderful variety in the playlist that also features tracks written by Cervini and trombonist Carn.

The interactive work of the three horns, as on Clumsy, is a real treat. The writing is always tight with room for some wildly swinging solos. The first track, Skeletons, lays down a fairly gentle groove until pianist Farrugia slips the band into a whirling three-way dance with the horns taking charge. The BNL’s When I Fall is a funky bluesy track with terrific solos from all participants. Tenor Frahm is outstanding.

Throughout the album, Cervini’s grounding unites the whole session. His If, Then has pianist Farrugia leading the complex melody while setting up terrific drum and reed solos. Au’s Aureole, perhaps not surprisingly, sets up Frahm to fly through the uptempo tune.

Any praise for the depth of Canadian jazz is not complete without noting the importance of Cervini himself. His wide-ranging impact is strong. As part of that wide range, long live Turboprop. ★★★★½ out of five

Stream: Skeletons; When I Fall

— Keith Black

CLASSICAL

London Symphony Orchestra

Britten (LSO Live)

The London Symphony Orchestra led by Sir Simon Rattle performs three of Britten’s most enduring works, showing the depth and breadth of his eclectic artistry.

The first of those, Sinfonia da Requiem, Op. 20, composed in 1940 while war raged in Europe, roils with dramatic intensity, including bone-rattling timpani strikes that launch the opening movement Lacrymosa. Rattle holds nothing back during the subsequent Dies Irae unfolding as a demonic, savage dance of death, rife with sharp edges courtesy of the brass and winds. By contrast, the finale Requiem aeternam, is offered as a gently flowing lullaby to soothe the senses after the preceding storms.

Spring Symphony, Op. 44 features soloists Elizabeth Watts, soprano; Alice Coote, mezzo-soprano; and Allan Clayton, tenor; joined by the Tiffin Choirs (James Day, director). Inspired by traditional English folksongs, its four movements comprised of 15 smaller sections depict springtime while showcasing the individual soloists and choristers.

Highlights include Part I’s opening chorus Shine Out as well as The Merry Cuckoo, with Clayton’s tenor voice strong and sure. Watts also shines during The Driving Boy, her clear soprano soaring into her uppermost range, while a boys choir bring its own youthful energy. Part II’s Welcome, Maids of Honour, displays Coote’s burnished vocals, further highlighted in Out on the Lawn I Lie in Bed. However the sweet spot is Part IV finale London, to Thee I do Present, with all forces combining to herald the advent of spring, capped by a final refrain of iconic 13th century song Sumer is icumen in, performed in descant.

The album rounds out with popular children’s work The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Op 34, based on a hornpipe rondeau theme by Purcell. This set of miniature variations never fails to delight the senses, in which each section showcases different orchestral instruments. Rattle and his musicians infuse their performance with relish throughout, with the timeless work ultimately bursting into a final fugue brimming with the infectious joy of youth. ★★★★ out of five

Stream: Sinfonia da Requiem, Op 20, Lacrymosa; Spring Symphony, Op. 44, Part I: Introduction; Shine Out; The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Op 34, VII. Fugue

— Holly Harris