On
their second full-length recording First Aid Kit don’t reinvent themselves.
They don’t have to. But they do deepen and extend the sound from their
revelatory debut, The Big Black & the
Blue (included in Reverberation's 2010 Countdown ... http://stevemahoot.blogspot.com/2010/12/first-aid-kit-at-no-15-in-continuing.html). These Swedish sisters sing like they grew up in the Appalachian
Mountains. Yet theirs is a sensibility at once pristine and robust, suggesting
the beautiful, stark landscapes of their native Swede as much as the back roads
of America.
Now
all of nineteen (Klara) and twenty-two (Johanna), the Soderberg sisters sound
more in command of their harmonies, which were potent indeed already. They are
beneficiaries of the YouTube age, to be sure. Attention for their debut was
stirred by their stunning rendition of the Fleet Foxes’ “Tiger Mountain Peasant
Song.” In the interim between Big Black
and their new album The Lion’s Roar fans
were treated to a mesmerizing version of Patti Smith’s “Dancing Barefoot.” If
you’ve never seen it do so; it’s remarkable – soulful beyond the girls' tender
age. Their own songs still aren’t as good as their best covers. But then, if
First Aid Kit's songs equaled their stunning singing The Lion’s Roar would be incomparable.
And
it’s pretty great as it is.
Because
they really do write some fine songs. “Blue” is a charmer; it cries out
for their hero Emmylou Harris to have a go. Few singers could make a line like
“you’re just a shell of your former youth” sound so buoyant and telling at the
same time. The Soderbergs can because they traffic comfortably in melancholy
and uplift at the same time.
“Emmylou”
(speaking of Ms. Harris) is just plain gorgeous. Homage lyrically to Harris and
Gram Parsons (‘You be my Gram, I’ll be your Emmylou”) as well as Johnny and
June Cash, the song also is an anthem to the very idea of love as artistic
fusion. And who won’t fall for that romance?
But even
in “Emmylou” there’s a sweet sense of foreboding, a feeling made more express
in the excoriating (and self-castigating) tone of the title track (“I’m a god
damn coward, but then again so are you”). Indeed, for all the sweetness of
these female-Everly (they remind me of the McGarrigle, Kate and Ann sometimes,
too) harmonies, these ladies’ lyrics are hardly sweet and light.
Mike
Mogis produces. As the arranger for Bright Eyes, Mogis has developed a strong
ear for robust, primarily acoustic performances. His penchant for reverb on the
Soderberg’s vocals is a wee bit excessive – sometimes I find myself preferring
the relative austerity of Benkt Soderberg's production on The Big Black and
Blue.
But generally, give Mogis credit for putting together a lush, beautiful
accompaniment to First Aid Kit’s stunning vocals. Of course, with Mogis at the
helm and the album being recorded in Omaha, a Conor Oberst appearance was
almost a guarantee. He pairs well with them, though, on the co-written “King of
the World,” a lament from a heart alienated from self and estranged from love.
The girls favor Oberst’s limited range and sing abidingly with him in a
spirited tru-et.
The Lion’s Roar
seems to have solidified and accelerated the cult audience building around
First Aid Kit. Their lovely songs and even more beautiful harmonies certainly
deserve an enormous audience.
Reverberating: 8.8
