🚀 go-pugleaf

Finally got a chance to hear this and my first impressions are very
positive. I do agree, her 2 previous covers albums were a bit underwhelming
for me. Very glad she is back to recording original material.  The strings
and orchestral touches add a lushness and sense of musical depth that I've
not really noticed in her previous work. Of course the melodies are
brilliant and the lyrics very interesting (I would expect nothing less from
Thea). It also seems a bit more up-tempo than her last few albums. Recalling
my personal favorite Thea Gilmore album "Avalanche". Although there are a
few gorgeous ballads such as "Punctuation" as well. Getting this and The
National's brilliant new album in the same week makes me feel musically
overwhelmed. I'm sure both will be strong contenders for my album of the
year.

Mike


 


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-ecto@smoe.org [mailto:owner-ecto@smoe.org] On Behalf Of Adam
Kimmel
Sent: May-15-13 9:10 AM
To: ecto@smoe.org
Subject: Thea Gilmore's new album, "Regardless"

I was a bit apprehensive about this one, what with the last two side
projects (the rather pointless Dylan album and the rather better Sandy Denny
release) plus the somewhat glossy looking album cover, the upbeat and
string-laden single and the knowledge that two of the other tracks on the
album were going to be revamps of, IMHO, a couple of her weaker fan-only
releases.   Add to that the fact that I've actually spent the last year
fixated on classical music (I'm in the middle of a Bruckner bender right
now) and completely unable to connect with any new music, or even a lot of
my old music. 

To my surprise and delight, this is a really great album -- up there with
her best, I think.  I know, I know, fans always say that kind of thing, but
I'm really impressed by the subtle stylistic changes she's made:
Regardless, with it's strings, is lusher, denser, more layered than anything
she's done before, and contains some of the most heart-stoppingly beautiful
songs she's ever recorded.  As far as I can tell, the theme -- if indeed
there is one -- is motherhood, which she tackles with her usual sharpness,
forthrightness and lyrical dexterity, forgoing any sentimentality or
gushiness that you might expect with this sort of thing.  There are a couple
of outright odd songs -- "Spit and Shine" seems, to me, to be poking fun at
the kind of middle-class mother she dreads becoming (with a really curious
African beat), while "Punctuation", which details a conversation between
God, Adam and someone called Lucy, has me stumped. But these are still
really enjoyable, and the rest !
 of the album ranges from joyous rockers to moments of such sublime,
swooning beauty that even on first listening on the way to work, I was
tempted to collar random fellow commuters and say, "Do you know what I'm
listening to?  Have you any idea how MAGNIFICENT life can be with this kind
of music in it?"  I have since gone on to listen to it three times a day for
seven days straight, and can't wait to listen to it again.  

Yes, it's THAT kind of great.  Buy it and feel love, heartbreak and joy all
at once.  I'm glad I did.

Adam K

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