Poseidon And The Bitter Bug

 

 

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More than 25 years after turning everyone's head with their self-titled major label debut, the Indigo Girls remain the obscure band that everyone knows of. Their complex harmonies and folk songs haven't exactly been crowding the airwaves, but this has never stopped them from steadily selling albums to a loyal audience. As a result, Emily Saliers and Amy Ray have managed to carve themselves an enviable position in music business, one that allows them integrity and creative control.

"Poseidon and the Bitter Bug", their first album released on their own independent label since "Strange Fire", doesn't find them breaking any new ground. It certainly doesn't mean the pair is in a creative rut, though; in fact, this collection of ten songs finds them moving forward on their own musical territory. Amy Ray's songs are just as biting as they ever were, but it would be simplistic to reduce her to the "angry social activist" label that she often gets stuck with; "Ghost of the gang" is a poignant and compassionate rocker, "True Romantic" may be her most moving love song since "Blood and fire", and "Second time around" is full of resignation about a relationship gone sour. She even experiments vocally on the elegant "Sugar tongue", which finds her using a higher vocal range to great effect. Emily Saliers, always the pair's most melodic and introspective half, provides the album's emotional core; her songs are somewhat pensive and sad on this album, but even self-resigned compositions such as "I'll change", "Digging for your dream" and "Love of our lives" are infused with a hopeful tone and a sense that things could always get better. In that regard, her "Fleet of hope" is definitely the album's highlight; the lyrics provide a gorgeous metaphor, while the melody ranks as one of the most beautiful she's ever written.

The Indigo Girls' fans know by now that this album is a 2 CD set; one features the songs performed with a full band, while the other features the same songs (plus a bonus track, Amy Ray's gently swinging "Salty South") performed acoustically. The acoustic format reveals the songs in all their beauty and simplicity, while the band format gives them a meatier sound. Some of the songs sound better one on format ("What are you like?" is much more effective in the acoustic format), while some others are just as good either way. The band's fans will certainly appreciate this fantastic initiative, and it's an interesting task to compare the different versions. The production, handled by Mitchell Froom, is effective, straightforward and focuses on the pair's many strengths; however, one might argue that some of the band's past producers have made them sound more adventurous musically, notably on albums such as "Swamp Ophelia" and "Rites of passage". The album may also lack a powerful, stops-you-in-your-tracks anthem such as "Closer to fine", "Fill it up again", "Galileo" or "Pendulum swinger"; instead, you get a collection of songs that move evenly into each other, until repeated auditions help you sort out the more distinctive songs. But these are minor complaints. Ultimately, "Poseidon and the Bitter Bug" is a wonderful reminder of what earned the Indigo Girls their staying power.

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