Trampled By Turtles Blend Ponderous Lyrics with Bluegrass Chops on Jeff Tweedy-produced ‘Alpenglow’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

While certainly not a concept album, there are definitely general themes around change that seem to touch just about every song on Alpenglow – the 10th LP from Minnesota-based Bluegrass sextet Trampled By Turtles. There is also a calmness to the set of tunes. The banjos and mandolins are still here in full force, but there is a feeling of peace or at least resignation to their latest record that seems to fit in with the album title – a term that describes the optical phenomenon of the rosy light of the setting or rising sun seen on mountains.

There is also an optimism that threads throughout the eleven songs here, even when singing about topics like uncertainty or death. On the opening track, “It’s So Hard to Hold On,” the narrator sings about the passing of time and rather than focus on how little is left, Dave Simonett sings about the importance of savoring what you have. Elsewhere, “Quitting Is Rough” focuses on having the strength to focus on what is real.

The record was produced by Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy, who also wrote “A Lifetime To Find,” the one song here not penned by Simonett. With subtle instrumentation, the song finds the narrator talking to death about the inevitable. And though tinged with some sadness obviously there is also a peaceful resignation to the inevitable. “I came in with songs I thought were finished, and then Jeff was really great about taking them apart, adding something here, taking something away there,” Simonett said recently. “He gave us fresh ears on songs and new ideas for how to present them. We all just sat in a circle and played.”

Toward the end of the album “All The Good Times Are Gone” stands out as one of the strongest tracks here. Mixing Simonett’s effortlessly cool vocals with the steady build-up of the instruments, it has all the markings of a great live track. Trampled By Turtles have been at it for close to two decades now, and Alpenglow proves they have no intention of slowing down or phoning it in anytime soon.