On Indistinct Conversations, Land of Talk continue the healing process they began on Life After Youth. That album was nothing less than a rebirth that found Elizabeth Powell mending their relationship with making music (and reuniting with former members Mark "Bucky" Wheaton and Chris McCarron) in much the same way music itself helped their father recuperate from a stroke. Maybe even more so than Life After Youth, Indistinct Conversations sounds like the active process of healing and acceptance. While writing its songs, ...
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On Indistinct Conversations, Land of Talk continue the healing process they began on Life After Youth. That album was nothing less than a rebirth that found Elizabeth Powell mending their relationship with making music (and reuniting with former members Mark "Bucky" Wheaton and Chris McCarron) in much the same way music itself helped their father recuperate from a stroke. Maybe even more so than Life After Youth, Indistinct Conversations sounds like the active process of healing and acceptance. While writing its songs, Powell came to terms with their identity as a non-binary femme, as well as past traumas and the ongoing complexities of relationships. To give these subjects the room they deserve, Indistinct Conversations concentrates on the two constants of Land of Talk's music: Powell's gorgeous, vibrato-laden vocals and their emotive guitar playing. Both of these elements express the merits of being light and flexible when dealing with pain and uncertainty on songs like "Diaphanous," where Powell's realization "I get caught up in the wrong stuff/And I have to laugh" floats above churning riffs and drums. On "Weight of That Weekend," their acoustic strumming sounds like emerging from the darkness as they sing, "As long as I'm breathing/This is a prayer for love." As Indistinct Conversations' contemplative, open-ended musings glide along on Powell's gleaming guitars, they reflect a state of becoming that feels therapeutic instead of indecisive. Thinking, feeling, and healing circle each other on "Love in 2 Stages," a meditation on how love and communication aren't always reciprocated, and on the hypnotic "Compelled," which presents a love triangle in unapologetically complicated ways. At times, the album's drift feels more like an experience than a collection of songs, so when hints of Land of Talk's rock roots resurface, they're surprising and welcome calls to action. On the excellent, ever-so-slightly grungy Fleetwood Mac homage "Footnotes," Powell presents themself as the kind of devoted partner they deserve, while "A/B Futures" tumbles like the momentum of their feelings. These subtle but confident, sneakily catchy songs reaffirm that Land of Talk is as relevant to the singer/songwriter movement of the 2010s and 2020s as they were to the noisy indie rock scene of the 2000s when they first emerged. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi
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Add this copy of Indistinct Conversations to cart. $7.00, like new condition, Sold by Streetlight_Records rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Cruz, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Saddle Creek.