Thanks for this. Yes, point taken about Bob and Neil. I do like the atmosphere a lot. The lyrics seem mostly unintelligible and work primarily as a textural layer.
Here is a photo of the in-store event last Thursday, sent to newsletter subscribers. Okay, so the stage is a little bigger than my kitchen table. But not much...
Man, I love this new record! After streaming it numerous times I finally got out and bought it on LP. Sounds even more glorious. It’s the sounds of dreams, imho.
This album is really cool. I'm a new convert. Will definitely be scoping out some of her previous work after I digest this one.
What a beautiful album! Love when artists are able to capture a mood and let their songs breathe…wonderful.
Very good - I was a little disappointed by the choice of tracks (8 off the new album, nothing off Trailer Park at all unless you count She Cries Your Name which was originally on Superpinkymandy, and no 'Best Bit') but the band were excellent, particularly the drummer. There was a bit of a false start when they took to the stage as she was just about to start playing Weather Alive when she realised that the fairy lights around her keyboard weren’t on so she waited for one of the stage crew to turn them on. Later on, when her and the guitarist started playing a stripped down Central Reservation she stopped because she said she’d played a wrong chord ("If it’s not perfect, it’s not worth it", she said) so they started again. On the whole though, a really good performance.
Ah, she did that at the gig I saw her at. First song, thirty seconds in, she went way over a high note and went "whoa,what was that? Ok, stop stop.." and said something similar to above. It was very cute..
On Instagram Beth wrote: “Last night @kokocamden was possibly the most beloved night I've spent making music live. A stunning venue with a fantastic audience packed to the rafters, I felt the love in that room and I am beyond grateful. For a record I never thought would be heard beyond my mind, to play live - to live in this consciousness - to live consciously - is a dream. It is worth it, even when it isn't perfect.”
about halfway through, this is a really enjoyable listen - decided to listen to kidsticks and then the new one, and it works for me. smitquest
Lovely review. She's been a huge favorite of mine since Trailer Park and to hear this redefinition of her sound while at the same time still sounding like herself is quite an accomplishment. Glad she's getting recognition for that.
In the middle of my 2nd listen. It's fantastic! I liked Kidsticks and really liked Sugaring Season, but this is like the first 3 albums.
Thanks to the mighty @mrjinks I have just acquired a signed CD booklet for Comfort Of Strangers which means I have signed CDs of all Beth's albums apart from the limited Japan-only Superpinkymandy which she disowns. (I'm still on the lookout for a Superpinkymandy at a reasonable price...)
Saw her tonight in Portland. They were so good! Most of the new record was played and a few faves from last records.
The lyrics are excellent.Try listening with the lyric sheet once or Googled lyrics if your just steaming it. Easily in my 10 Favourite Albums list for this year.
Here’s a couple clips I shot last night trying not to be too distracting to folks around me. The videos not great but you can really get a sense for how the new songs shined. It was pretty thrilling to hear them live.
