Weyes Blood Cements Status As Must-Hear Grandiose Artist On ‘And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

With 2019’s breakthrough Titanic Rising, Weyes Blood shifted her career onto a higher plane. The follow-up, And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow, cements her status as a must here grandiose artist as the soaring song structures, deep lush instrumentation, and insightful lyrics combine to form a winning full-length journey.

The topic Wyes Blood (aka Natalie Mering) returns to throughout this album is the aftermath of the last few years (pandemic, political upheaval, mental health issues, etc.) and the human impact of trying to cope with the madness, establish meaningful connections, while finding personal happiness, and stability during turbulent times. The fantastic opening track “It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody” sets the tone from the first time you read the title as The Beatles’ “Golden Slumbers” influenced number is a dynamic piece, powered by strings, flutes, piano, and Mering’s smooth vocals which describe the pain of loneliness and isolation even in a crowd or party.

The glorious opener is followed by the dramatic pop of “Children of the Empire” which continues the theme of a splintering world order with lonely and lost humans who “don’t have time anymore to be afraid” because of the political, social, and societal upheaval at every turn. Hand claps, and guests arrive as layers of cello (Jacob Braun), violins (Andrew Bullbrook, Wynton Grant) and harps (Mary Lattimore) meld with synths (Mering and Jonathan Rado), organs (Drew Erickson) trombone (Andy Martin) and tuba (Blake Cooper).

Vocally the highlight offering is the sparse dirge “God Turn Me Into A Flower” which finds Mering gorgeously crooning while mixing electronica with organic sounds, creating affecting results. “Hearts Aglow” swells with orchestral pop in the vein of Harry Nilsson and recent Father John Misty efforts, minus the world-weary irony; there is a real sense of earnest connection in Mering’s lyrics and vocals as the digital beats become enhanced for “Twin Flame” while she sings that “we are more than our disguises/we are more than just the pain” in all forms. The album offers two brief placeholder instrumental tracks that do nothing to enhance the album, but the full-blown efforts outweigh any of those small negatives.

The folksy swaying, “Grapevine” effortlessly evolves into resplendent pop heights while “The Worst Is Done” just may be the best of this incredibly strong bunch. Acoustic strums meld with digital warbling as synths dance around Mering’s powerful singing of lyrics that directly cut to the diseased heart of things during “this long, strange year, everyone’s sad” one where “we lost our voices”. A stunning complete effort that sinks in instantly, breezing by on pop charm, but lyrically feeling sunk and broken during these hateful times.

The finale shifts gear as “A Given Thing” is a soaring solo showcase with Mering singing of love pure and larger than oneself. Rather than defeatist, the song signals hope, ending this searching album by shining a light towards (hopefully) a better future.

Who knows what the future holds? As for the present, Weyes Blood’s And In the Darkness, Hearts Aglow is a revelatory baroque pop album forged in these recent chaotic days.

Related Content

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

New to Glide

Keep up-to-date with Glide

Twitter