Nine year itch? Well nine years can’t come fast enough. Nickel Creek albums have instrumental brilliance throughout, folky, experimental, bluegrass, and true band dynamics. The albums can be uneven at times, but such sheer brilliance shines through each album. So I thought that a reunion album would be the diet coke of Nickel Creek. Strangely, the album picks up where the band left off and pushes further.
After hearing, “Why Should the Fire Die?,” their last record, I thought the band was going too far off in experimental directions. The new record pulls things together. Rarely am I struck by instrumental numbers, but “Elsie” brings together the spirit of the album. The picking is expert and feels like an old standard.
Often the standout songwriter in the band, Sean Watkins shines again. The single, “The 21st of May,” is the story of a man and his dream. He wants to fly something. It really doesn’t matter what because the determination comes through so completely in the song. Sean’s voice and expert guitar picking lend the song a true to life feel. I’m not sure if this relates to air travel and a specific historical event or not, but I’m fascinated nonetheless.
The other single, Sarah Watkins “Destination,” relentless driving beat. It thumps and roars out of the gate like only Nickel Creek can do. The band plays hard and gives new meaning to aggressive songwriting. The song grows with every spin.
Chris Thile lends his singular mandolin beautiful harmony vocals throughout the album. One of his songwriting contributions, “Love of Mine,” sounds exactly like the title suggests. Its slow and vocally centered, but also pretty. That’s not to put it down at all, but to accentuate the confident singer/songwriter that Thile has grown into. The melody is assured and lends the album a bit of depth and variety. “You Don’t Know What’s Goin’ On” is much more choppy mandolin led number that rocks to the core. It bookends the aggression of “Destination” nicely.
The one miscue was “Hayloft.” Its so dominated by junkyard percussion that its honestly a bit hard to listen through. Luckily, the band leaves it all on a high note. “Where is Love Now” is a gorgeous tune. Sarah Watkins pristine vocals take center stage. But Thile’s mandolin playing is both restrained and assertive when it needs to be. The band harmonies sound like a band that grew up together. They sound like one voice with three different facets.
If you’re not a fan yet, this album is a great place to start. I wouldn’t be surprised fi the new album earns the bands new fans. Shimmering fiddles, beautiful melodies, and harmonies pull together a band of mature musicians who can make it on their but are all the more powerful together.
With an album like this, here’s hoping Nickel Creek doesn’t wait another nine years before they hit us with material this good again.
About the author: Jeff is a teacher in the Boston area. When not buried correcting papers, Jeff can be found plucking various stringed instruments and listening to all types of americana music.