Wednesday, August 14, 2013

The Civil Wars

I love music. When I find a new band or singer I invest some time by learning about them. I don't go and join their fan club (unless your Justin Timberlake) but i'll do a Google search and find out a little more about them. 

One of my favorite artists/group is The Civil Wars. If you haven't heard of them, check them out. Look them up on Spotify or iTunes. Their first album, which I reviewed as a gift a couple of years ago, is called Barton Hollow was amazing. I played it nonstop for weeks and weeks. 


I absolutely LOVE this album. And I was so excited to learn and their second full length album was releasing this month. Don't you just love when one of your favorite artists releases new work? 

The new album is called The Civil Wars. Want to know why? Because the duo isn't getting along. 
And weren't getting along when recording the album. 


After reading and listening to a recent interview with Joy Williams (the female half of the duo) and listening to the new album, I have to say I've fallen out of love with The Civil Wars and it makes me super sad. 

Finding out that the duo hasn't spoken or seen each other since the recording studio earlier this year, I found myself bummed. After listening to the new album you can hear the tension and the music. I had a really hard time enjoying this album. There were a couple and only a couple songs that I liked, but didn't love any of them. And I'm the person who loves all of the songs. 

So the point in this post, and I'm having a difficult time finding one, is that I'm struggling with my disappointment in The Civil Wars new album. You gotta "mesh" when creating music and knowing that the group isn't "meshing" anymore stinks. I don't know if I'll even listen to the new album a again. But I encourage you to give it a listen and let me know what you think. Can you feel it? Can you hear the tension or am I just a crazy music listener? 

Not that The Civil Wars have hinted at breaking up (that would be a shame - I really hope they get out of this funk...soon) but here is a list of the 10 Messiest Band Breakups found at RollingStones.com - in case you're interested.

***Update***
You can listen/read the NPR interview with Joy Williams that I referenced above. 


-Lauren



2 comments:

mrs.waddington. said...

Gahhh!! You summed up my frustration with this new album perfectly!!!!! I was listening to it today, and it just isn't the same.. Not that musicians shouldn't change and develop.. However, I didn't feel the same when listening. I wasn't mesmerized or carried away in this soulful, lyrical journey! Such a bummer when, like you, I was addicted to the first album and still will find myself just in the mood for their music. This album, while still displaying some amazing talent for the artists as individuals, does not portray the same B-E-A-uuuutifull duo I couldn't stop listening to previously!! truly heartbreaking!

Aue85 said...

You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that you agree. I really struggled when writing this post, not knowing if anyone would hear and feel the same way. Last week I was almost completely distraut over it!