Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Reunions
Sobriety journeys should be soundtracked by Jason Isbell deep cuts like “It Gets Easier.” One of many highlights from his new album, Reunions, the song features some of the alt-country’s star’s most anthemic and empathetic lyrics about addiction.
Most of the LP’s remaining nine tracks boast similar attributes. Chalk the harder-rocking moments up to Isbell’s top-notch band, the 400 Unit, who share top billing here. On Reunions, Isbell nimbly balances both the tender and rugged playing styles that helped him win over different contingents through the years.
And then there’s Reunions’ heartwrenching linchpin, “Dreamsicle.” Through it, Isbell grants listeners the vantage of a broken-home childhood during a summer sticky with humidity, sweetened by artificially flavoured
treats and galled by absent fathers. The suddenly dense lyricism he unveils on this song’s verses will find you reaching for the replay button before the track can melt from your memory. Meanwhile, brawnier rock tracks like “Running with Our Eyes Closed,” “Be Afraid” and “What’ve I Done to Help” all showcase Isbell’s explosive chemistry with the 400 Unit.
Regardless of whether he’s playing at full tilt or fluttering on acoustic rhythms, Isbell’s eye for detail remains constant. With Reunions, Isbell unites the disparate aspects of his craft — soothingly acoustic and fiercely electric, Hemingway’s word economy dashed with Oscar Wildeworthy asides, relatable details and otherworldly allusions. For listeners immersed in similar bittersweet nuances on a daily basis, there’s no better musical accompaniment than Isbell’s latest. (Southeastern)
BAROQUE POP the Oscar-nominated soundtrack to Spike Jonze’s film Her.
Nearly six years since his last album, Pallett returns with Island, a record that exists in a lavish fantasy world built upon identity struggles and lush orchestration. Pallett’s earliest solo work spawned whimsical imagery full of trembling desires and forbidden fruit, and later efforts showed off his musical wizardry with sharp percussion and flittering electronics. On Island, Pallett scales back his baroque pop by nurturing subtle tonal changes, gently kneading them into life.
Pallett’s trusty violin, featured so prominently on 2006’s Polaris Music Prize-winning album He Poos Clouds, isn’t the focal point on Island, which is instead occupied with longsustained piano strokes and fingerpicked acoustic guitar. On “Paragon of Order,” Pallett’s deliverance of hopefulness is illuminated with a silvery grandiosity earmarked with strings and woodwinds courtesy of the London Contemporary Orchestra. Similarly, “Polar Vortex” is thoughtfully distilled by Pallett’s ever-youthful, classically trained voice and crystal-clear guitar.
Over the two decades of his career, Pallett has created great, expansive worlds — and with Island, he focuses on the brief moments of pain and pleasure with his timeless intuition. (Secret City)