Second Album from Female Singer-Songwriter on Vinyl LP!
On her second full-length record as Waxahatchee, former P.S. Eliot singer Katie Crutchfields compelling hyper-personal poetry is continuously crushing. Cerulean Salt follows last Januarys American Weekend -- a collection of minimal acoustic-guitar pop written and recorded in a week at her familys Birmingham home.
On this record, Crutchfields songs continue to be marked by her sharp, hooky songwriting; her striking voice and lyrics that simultaneously seem hyper-personal yet relentlessly relatable, teetering between endearingly nostaglic and depressingly dark. But whereas before the thematic focus of her songcraft was on break ups and passive-aggressive crushing, this record reflects on her family and Alabama upbringing. And whereas American Weekend was mostly just Crutchfield and her guitar, Cerulean Salt is occasionally amped up, with a full band and higher-fi production.
At times, Cerulean Salt creeps closer to the sound of PS Eliot: moody, 90s-inspired rock backed by Keith Spencer and Swearin guitarist Kyle Gilbride on drums and bass. The full band means fleshed-out fuzzy lead guitars on Coast to Coast, its poppy hook almost masking its dark lyrics. Big distorted guitars and deep steady drums mark songs like Misery over Dispute and Waiting.
Theres plenty of American Weekends instrospection and minimalism to be found, though. Blue Pt. II is stripped down, Crutchfield and her sister Alison (of Swearin) singing in harmony with deadpan vox. Shes still an open booking, musing on self-doubt versus self-reliance, transience versus permanence. Peace and Quiet ebbs and flows from moody, minimal verses to a sing-song chorus. Swan Dive tackles nostalgia, transience, indifference, regret over the a minimal strum of an electric-guitar, the picking at a chirpy riff and the double-time tapping of a muted drum. The album closes with a haunting acoustic-guitar reflection on Youre Damaged, possibly the best Waxahatchee song to date. The album was recognized as one of The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far, a list published by Pitchfork Media in August 2014.
Features:
Vinyl LP
Selections:
1. Hollow Bedroom
2. Dixie Cups and Jars
3. Lips and Limbs
4. Blue Pt. II
5. Brother Bryan
6. Coast to Coast
7. Tangled Envisioning
8. Misery Over Dispute
9. Lively
10. Waiting
11. Swan Dive
12. Peace and Quiet
13. You're Damaged
On her second full-length record as Waxahatchee, former P.S. Eliot singer Katie Crutchfields compelling hyper-personal poetry is continuously crushing. Cerulean Salt follows last Januarys American Weekend -- a collection of minimal acoustic-guitar pop written and recorded in a week at her familys Birmingham home.
On this record, Crutchfields songs continue to be marked by her sharp, hooky songwriting; her striking voice and lyrics that simultaneously seem hyper-personal yet relentlessly relatable, teetering between endearingly nostaglic and depressingly dark. But whereas before the thematic focus of her songcraft was on break ups and passive-aggressive crushing, this record reflects on her family and Alabama upbringing. And whereas American Weekend was mostly just Crutchfield and her guitar, Cerulean Salt is occasionally amped up, with a full band and higher-fi production.
At times, Cerulean Salt creeps closer to the sound of PS Eliot: moody, 90s-inspired rock backed by Keith Spencer and Swearin guitarist Kyle Gilbride on drums and bass. The full band means fleshed-out fuzzy lead guitars on Coast to Coast, its poppy hook almost masking its dark lyrics. Big distorted guitars and deep steady drums mark songs like Misery over Dispute and Waiting.
Theres plenty of American Weekends instrospection and minimalism to be found, though. Blue Pt. II is stripped down, Crutchfield and her sister Alison (of Swearin) singing in harmony with deadpan vox. Shes still an open booking, musing on self-doubt versus self-reliance, transience versus permanence. Peace and Quiet ebbs and flows from moody, minimal verses to a sing-song chorus. Swan Dive tackles nostalgia, transience, indifference, regret over the a minimal strum of an electric-guitar, the picking at a chirpy riff and the double-time tapping of a muted drum. The album closes with a haunting acoustic-guitar reflection on Youre Damaged, possibly the best Waxahatchee song to date. The album was recognized as one of The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far, a list published by Pitchfork Media in August 2014.
Features:
Vinyl LP
Selections:
1. Hollow Bedroom
2. Dixie Cups and Jars
3. Lips and Limbs
4. Blue Pt. II
5. Brother Bryan
6. Coast to Coast
7. Tangled Envisioning
8. Misery Over Dispute
9. Lively
10. Waiting
11. Swan Dive
12. Peace and Quiet
13. You're Damaged
