This album was spawned from Sharon walking into band practice and asking to just jam. This magic of spontaneity in this experience showed her that relinquishing creative control and being more collaborative was so freeing for her that invited her band to become a part of the more organic writing process for this album. Despite opening with a more electronic pulse you can hear how things are jammed out as the song evolves with the drummer employing a greater sense of dynamic playing when given free rein to do so..
Lyrically the first two songs seem to dwell on aspects of mortality. Her singing carries a more hopeful soul to it for "Afterlife". This finds her shedding some of the more brooding introspection. "Idiot Box" moves with a more post-punk groove. Aside from a few multitracked harmonies, the vocal production is more stripped down on this album."Trouble" cruises with a slightly more introspective ambiance draping her vocals. So fat this one reminds me the most of her previous work. "Indio" picks up the pace with more of a brisk post-punk shuffle. Her vocal lines are interesting on this one. "I Can't Imagine" finds a Blondie-flavored take on Disco bringing more groove to things.
"Something Ain't Righ" makes it clear that the style of post-punk their inspiration is drawn from is the early New York-bred version that emerged in the mid-seventies. You can hear traces of the Talking Heads in "Something Ain't Right" as she asks if you believe in compassion for enemies. "Southern Life" employs similar grooves to those that powered Bowie's "Young Americans" album. Her vocals on the verses are more of a droning chant.
Her hushed vocals step closer to the mic for "Fading Beauty" The accompaniment on this one is more minimalist. It does put the breaks on the momentum the album established, but understand why she chooses to indulge this side of her emotional currency. "I Want You Here" took a couple listens in order to describe what is happening. It is often best to not overthink things, so by definition, the song is a ballad, though dynamic one that allows her to really flex her pipes and makes for a stunning listen. I'll round this one up to a 10, she makes all the right choices here. Drops Febuary 7th on Jagjaguwar
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