Shovels & Rope Manticore LP

"It's not heavy metal, but in our guts, it feels a bit like Heavy Metal," says Michael Trent of Shovels & Rope's album Manticore. 2022 marks ten years since Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent released their debut album O' Be Joyful, the first formally billed as "Shovels & Rope."

Manticore feels like a hard-won summation of the band's first act, shedding away notions the public may have had of them or that they had of themselves. The second act of Shovels & Rope looks beautifully weathered and wiser - shining a bright light at the end of this very dark tunnel.

With their new album, Manticore, husband-and-wife duo Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent, aka Shovels & Rope, continue to hone their integrations of bar-room Americana, heartland rock, and a DIY sensibility. Their signature vocals, as with previous releases, remain an exhilaratingly seductive calling card.

Like the contradictions embodied in the manticore, one can feel threatened, amused, and bewildered all at the same time. The music is simple with wonderful harmonies, but the breadth of what's covered is so intriguingly complex, that while difficult to digest at first, exerts a yearning tug that keeps pulling one back for more listens.

They have continued to push boundaries by mixing styles and influences - hints of country, folk, singer/songwriter, bluegrass, indie rock, pop and even some experimental threads weave into a unique, multi-hued blanket that has evolved over the years. Their voices unite these disparate genres; sometimes combined, intermittently separate, but always emotional and raw led by Hearst's grainy, soulful wail.