The choruses and harmonies in some of these songs on Half Moon Light from Americana trio The Lone Bellow will slay you. It is refreshing to have an album that brings us out of the darkness. Go ahead and sing along and/or dance. That’s what the band intends. These three-part harmonies and killer songwriting mix light and dark to muster a complex ode to memory, a call for hope, and an exercise in empathy, yet the overriding result is joyous. Careful planning and years of work went into this project that breathes a spirit of collaboration and freedom beyond the meticulous decisions about instrumental textures.
The trio is guitarist/vocalist Brian Elmquist, lead vocalist Zach Williams, lead vocalist Kanene Donehey with multi-instrumentalist Jason Pipkin, augmented by multi-instrumentalist Aaron Dessner (who also masterfully produced), in-demand drummer JT Bates, and soul man Phil Cook on harmonica and keys, guitarist Josh Kaufman, amongst several others including horns, synths, keys and whatever else is needed by track. This one took a village (check the track credits).
The album begins with a lone piano playing a hymn. The pianist is Williams’ grandmother playing at the funeral of her husband of 64 years. This kind of interlude also happens midway and at the end, all taken from that same occasion, a way of underscoring the dozen songs to be experienced together, much as a suite. The somber piano immediately leads to the jubilant “I Can Feel You Dancing” with its soaring horns and majestic vocals. A jungle beat and pounding piano introduce “Good Times,” a lyrical collection of Williams’ stories and observations, again with infectious choruses. He mentions stories told in the middle of the night on a boat he worked on in the Caribbean, others told in Manhattan Irish pubs, and yet others in backyards and a hospital bed. As good as these two tracks are, The Lone Bellow hits their signature three-part harmony sound on the standout “Wonder,” as Williams tries to reclaim the childlike awe and appreciation that age tends to eat away.
”Count on Me,” the single brings back their exuberant soul shouting as an ode to friendship, heard again later on “Friends.” Elmquist’s “Wash It Clean” is a lovely, lilting homage to his dad, who passed away suddenly last year. He chronicles the strained relationship that only found them reaching common ground two months before the passing. “Enemies” stays in the acoustic folk-like mode with sparkling piano notes before becoming a quiet call and response between the vocalists. The piano interlude signals a change and we next get another tour-de-force, Kanene Donehey’s strongest moments on the album, “Just Enough to Get By.” She has a unique mix of grit and charm in her delivery, allowing just enough rage to come through as she sings about her mother, who was raped at 19, having to send away the baby, only to reconnect with her daughter, Kanene’s half-sister, 40 years later. Anger, hurt, frustration and sadness are obviously all here but the song is urging us to not keep these emotions hidden. Kanene leads again on another powerful piece, “Illegal Immigrant,” written by Elmquist. It’s a haunting, in-the-moment tale of a mother and child being separated at the U.S.-Mexican border. Yet, there is reassurance in the chorus “I promised I’d find you wherever you are/Wherever you are/Her I am/You’ll never be alone again.”
So, yes, there is some serious, empathetic subject matter in the middle of the album that later yields to praise and yearning for deep friendships as heard in the sequence of “Friends,” “Dust Settles” and “August”. There’s so much to delve into here, be it the harmonies, the stories, the sentiments and the gorgeous layers of sound and production values. This is a “must hear.”
