Folk and Americana music has a deep connection to politics. All the way back to Pete Seegar, Joan Baez and Woody Guthrie, and to contemporary artists like Jason Isbell, American Aquarium and Carsie Blanton, artists have been unflinching in addressing societal problems backed by pianos and acoustic guitars. Lizzie No continues that tradition on Halfsies, a stellar LP that grabs you on the first listen but still manages to reveal more layers the longer you spend with it.
That’s not to say the entire record is all about politics nor is it essentially overt; No mixes in a great deal of the personal and through characters makes a remarkably authentic experience. The album’s first single, “Lagunita,” an outlier of sorts musically with louder guitars, tells the story in four minutes of Miss Freedomland fighting her way out of exile in an increasingly violent country. Brian Dunne joins No on “Lagunita” and as powerful as the song is, it’s some of the quieter moments here, like “The Heartbreak Store,” “Deadbeat” or “Done” – when it’s No’s voice and little more than a guitar – that you can really focus on not only the earnestness in her voice, but the beauty in the words. You can almost hear Lucinda Williams or Tracy Chapman in some of these songs. The stripped-down, heartrending “Morning Dove Waltz” is easily one of No’s best recorded moments. It is deceptively simple musically, but three minutes of solid emotion. Allison Russell guests on “Morning Dive Waltz,” as well as the title track.
The character Miss Freedomland is a constant that shows up again and again across the record. To hear No tell it, this album was built like a video game, with the protagonist making her way through different levels while searching for freedom in an increasingly violent and nightmarish American landscape. And despite the fictional scenarios, anyone living in this country for the past decade can recognize the stakes society currently faces. On Halfsies, No delivers a political album in one of the most subversive ways possible; by simply telling the stories through a character and letting the listener recognize where we are heading if we don’t make changes.
