The new record from The Weather Station is a warm one, with textures that alternately soothe and quietly confound. The project of Tamara Lindeman, The Weather Station approach indie like AOR bands once approached hit albums in the past. That said, Ignorance, out on Friday on Fat Possum, is unlikely to seen as something too mainstream, especially given the emotions here seem barely contained.
There's a subtle tension in lots of the pieces here, such that Lindeman's music takes on a natural confessional quality, and it's one which gives these compositions weight. "Robber" has a jazz underpining, but it's the surging "Atlantic" that charms immediately. This one, reminiscent of stuff like Paula Cole in the past, seems like something you might hear on the radio, even as the subtle complexity of the playing indicates a far more unique approach. Elsewhere, "Tried to Tell You" rides an undercurrent that threatens to burst forth, even as the piano-based "Trust" marries Lindeman's crystal-clear vocals with melodic patterns that are equal parts Sandy Denny, and equal parts Tori Amos.
The Weather Station rarely lose control of things here on Ignorance and I guess that's the point. The pieces are minimalist in spots, with instrumentation rarely intruding on the emotions on display. In that sense, there's some odd spiritual similarity at work to mid-period Blue Nile material, but Tamara Lindeman would rather pursue her own goals than attempt to follow a path already mapped out. <
Ignorance is out tomorrow via Fat Possum.
More details on The Weather Station via the official Facebook page.
[Photo: Jeff Bierk]