Tonight We Dance

“Lament” packs a truly heavy punch. There’s a crispness to the production that highlights every drum beat and crashing riff, providing the backdrop to Jeremy’s introspective lyrics.

Seven albums on, Isbell’s achieved a rarified status, one that indulges a need for creativity as well as contemplation. “Reunions” reminds us that it’s the rare artist that succeeds at both.

“In Sickness & In Flames” is one of The Front Bottoms’ most interesting records to date; it’s completely them – and obviously so – yet they change just enough to keep you guessing without alienation.

“Song for Our Daughter” is, well, so uncannily, unreasonably and astutely beautiful that it meticulously sets aside every last one of your emotional checks and balances to wrap your core in a firm embrace.

“Rough and Rowdy Ways” is a typically astounding, kaleidoscopic journey through the last half-century of American history… Dylan lapped us a long time ago. He’s still sprinting far ahead. And now he definitely can’t be caught.

The live recording of this record really helps deliver that communal feeling. They feel so present and close that listeners might feel they’re violating the pandemic rules.

As well as being excellent, “Local Honey” is evidence that the man himself is able to adjust his songwriting to his circumstances without compromising in its quality. It all makes for a seriously sweet listen that reaffirms the Jersey boy as a storyteller and songwriter par excellence.

Unlike the singer’s rootsy solo work, “Down in the Weeds…” is rich in what brought many of us to Bright Eyes in the first place: the drama… There’s the mature reflection he intertwines with his urgency. There’s his hard-fought optimism. And there’s the embrace of community, the sense that Oberst doesn’t want to stare down these songs alone.

What songs these are, genuinely good enough to be compared with peak Dylan: like him, Crutchfield is adept at nestling into the almost comforting niche of heartache and hopping out again with a grin.

“Fetch the Bolt Cutters” is daring in a new way, scrambling and shattering the pop-song structures that once grounded her… These songs make some breathtaking hairpin turns… It’s not just the wild craftsmanship of each song. It’s also that she’s fearless about what she’s doing: with sounds, with structures, with people’s expectations.