This is not to pass judgment as the decision did not come lightly for the duo formerly known as Mandolin Orange to change their name to Watchhouse. It’s just that it’s risky to change a brand name (or band name with a large, devoted following) once it is well established. Mandolin Orange certainly reached a peak with 2019’s Tides of a Teardrop which we covered here. This writer has heard minor complaints from those attending Mandolin Orange shows that a “sameness of sound” had set in midway through. Whether that had anything to do with the name change or that the name relegated them too closely to bluegrass, the pandemic provided more than ample opportunity for reflection, consideration of new directions, and availing themselves of more sonic freedom.
Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz did just that, emerging with a new single, “Better Way” and a full album that bears the band’s new name. The ubiquitous producer, Josh Kaufman, is at the helm of this new project, recorded at a remote hideaway at the foot of the Appalachians.
Rest assured that the core of their sound remains intact, as Frantz’s mandolin and the vocal harmonies are present from the outset in “Wondrous Love” which sets the stage for “Better Way” which begins acoustically and dissolves into a kind of string-laden mysterious, ethereal mist, emblematic of some of the new textures at play. “Belly of The Beast,” though is a return to their affecting acoustic, harmonious fare that has marked their work from the beginnings of their former name. There is also a video for “New Star,” a song about family connectivity and self-sacrifice as if to remind us of those stay-at-home times during the pandemic as it looks to a future of children playing, families gathering for dinner, and the simple notion of friends sharing a cigarette.
It sounds as if Kaufman’s approach was a distillation process. Retain what made them so successful and appealing in the first place – those captivating harmonies and an unrushed, patient, and simple approach – and then surround that with more sonic layers to enhance it. So, with his usual multi-instrumental role, Kaufman paired them with drummer Joe Westerlund, guitarist Josh Oliver, and bassist Clint Mullican. As Franz sings in “Upside Down” the acoustic guitars shine amidst a backdrop of these accompanists on electric guitar, organ, and the pulsating rhythm tandem that especially potently accents the choruses. Similarly, glistening piano notes and a yearning fiddle imbue “Lonely Love Affair” where Marlin takes the vocal lead in this smooth, relaxed folk-like tune that bears little resemblance to bluegrass.
“Coming Down from Green Mountain” is a dreamy gorgeous instrumental with mandolin in the lead with fiddles adding lush harmonics, leading to the standout “Beautiful Flowers.” Here, they strip away the instrumentation for a sparse backdrop as Franz laments the crushing of a butterfly by a car windshield. So, the personal concerns move beyond family and society to the environmental. Marlin takes the soft ballad “Nightbird” in a country direction, as Franz adds her affecting harmonies while the pedal steel and fiddles swoon and swell to a climax behind them.
For Tides of a Teardrop this writer used these words, “Theirs is an airy sound, crystalline clear like splinters of sunlight in a hushed forest.” This time out we could describe that very forest as teeming with a bit more activity. Nonetheless, the essence of the duo of Marlin and Franz still floats and soars – breaking through like those splinters of sunlight even more brightly. Yes, Kaufman’s magical touch has worked. Rather unbelievably, the new sound is an upgrade.
