Alpenglow

Perhaps it was the disk title, which refers to the rosey wash of light that surrounds mountains at dawn & dusk, that prompted producer Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), to switch the Turtles' typical uptempo 'newgrass' sound with a slower presentation that emphasises “economy of language and time”. The result is a spare, yet beautiful mix that augments lead singer & songwriter Dave Simonett's (all tracks except #5, which Tweedy penned) melancholic vocals with divine harmonies accompanied by banjo, guitar, mandolin & fiddle. Thematically the disk reminds us to live in the moment, enjoying what we have rather than fretting over how short life is.

RIYL: Gregory Alan Isakov, The Lumineers, Mumford & Sons

1 It's So Hard To Hold On - sweet & wistful observation on the passing of time with light orchestration (slow, 3:38)**
2 Starting Over - losing a lover, sad fiddle & cello (fast, 3:45)
3 Central Hillside Blues - beautifully simple & somber, in the spirit of Long Black Veil (slow, 3:25)***
4 On The Highway - lovely hook with flighty banjo over rockin cello (fast, 3:32)***
5 A Lifetime To Find - bittersweet tale of coming to the end of one's road, written by Jeff Tweedy (med, 3:39)**
6 Nothing But Blue Skies - slow, sad & beautiful (slow, 4:16)**
7 Burlesque Desert Window - rocking cello sets theme for this toe tapper (fast, 3:00)***
8 All The Good Times Are Gone - somewhat traditional bluegrass start rocks out at the end (slow/fast, 3:30)
9 We're Alright - ole timey waltz feel with subtle picking shows off Simonett's vocals (med, 3:41)**
10 Quitting Is Rough - slow with nice cello, fiddle & banjo interplay (med, 4:02)
11 The Party's Over - melancholic two-step with guitar/banjo opening slowly builds (slow, 3:37)***