Man oh man, where to start with this one. I like it… but I’m conflicted. There are some fantastic songs on the album, but overall it just feels a little flat and I think that might be due to name of the album.
I’m completely willing to accept that I’m the only human being on the planet who feels this way (and please if you disagree let me know in the comments), but when a band does a self titled album I feel like it should be their magnum opus. It should be the essence of everything they are, everything they are about. Blood and guts, ugliness and beauty, triumphs and tragedies in 12-15 songs. It should be the very essence of the band in an album. And if this what The Civil Wars is all about… damn.
Don’t get me wrong, this is a good album. It’s not a great album, but it’s good. Their first album Barton Hollow was overall a much stronger and was what really got me excited about this new-wave bluegrass folk revival that’s happening right now. To me it helped kick off the mainstream adoption of this new old sound.
I guess what I’m really trying to say is that this album is a disappointment. In comparison to a lot of the other garbage I’ve heard lately it’s head and shoulders above, but when compared to the rest of their catalog it gets a great big “MEH”. It just didn’t express the kind of growth I was hoping for from the band and there isn’t a single song on the album that I want to hear over and over again.
However, there are a few bright spots. Being a huge Smashing Pumpkins fan, their cover of “Disarm,” was a magnificent delight. The original is one of my top 10 songs of all time and hearing TCW put their unique sound to it just made my day the first time I heard it. Other strong tracks include “I Had Me a Girl,” and “Tell Mama,” which is simultaneously beautiful and foreboding. Though I have a hard time caring too much about the rest of the album in any meaningful way and to be honest I’m having a tough time writing anything else for this review.
I was very excited for this release, but I feel like it fell a little flat. I don’t know what else to say other than it’s a good album, and worth a listen, but it’s not nearly what I was expecting after their dynamite freshman release. But hey, there’s always the 3rd album to look forward to, and I do, because this is a great band that I think still has a lot to offer.