View from the rocking chair: On her sixth album, »Tigers Blood«, with her project Waxahatchee, Katie Crutchfield retreats into a melancholy country sound. Everything is more laid back, the sound more relaxed. Or as it says on »365«: »I stop picking up all your phone calls, take a shot at decency«. And when compared with its predecessor, being decent is the theme of this album. On first listen, the twelve tracks seem even more daring. Most of the songs on »Tigers Blood« were written two years ago. Crutchfield wrote the material on tour and then went to producer Brad Cook and the Sonic Ranch in Texas to record it. It’s a move that worked well on the previous album. And the impact of the new album was clearly audible back then. It had scaled-down bars with fewer and shorter outbursts, but Crutchfield uses this on »Tigers Blood« in a different way. In an interview, Crutchfield said, »My life gets stranger and less comprehensible the older I get.« Accordingly, the 35-year-old gradually developed a knack for expressing universal emotions in her songs. On »Ice Cold«, the pain of saying goodbye to the past is a constant presence throughout. »Crimes Of The Heart« is a gentle, understated piece with sparse instrumentation and a tentative approach. Yes, it’s all very grown-up and withdrawn, but still quite touching. It’s decently cordial and cordially decent.
The Cat’s Miaow
Skipping Stones: The Cassette Years ’92-’93
World Of Echo