Diving into the refined poetry of What the Thunder Said is all Elysian Fields asks of us. And it’s hard to deny them! Review.
WHAT THE THUNDER SAID – ELYSIAN FIELDS
Subtly linking jazz and indie rock to delicate folk sounds, Elysian Fields hopes to lose us in a labyrinth of softness with What the Thunder Said. River Styx is flowing in the background, and with such clear and hypnotic vocals, Jennifer Charles paints an idyllic landscape in the frame of the first song, Half Measures. Often, it’s the tone she’ll use to get through all of their landscapes. Although Hell can actually be heavenly, some tracks did make me shiver. It’s that contrast that makes the album so intriguing.
Enchanting on First Last Wishes, the New York duet, which became a Franco-American four-piece on stage and in the studio for this record, is also charming through hints of jazz and soul on This World Is Just a World. Indomitable (Must Have Meant) or romantic (Before the Crashing Waves), Elysian Fields is always seeking the ideal setting. Know Not Whorl might be the one to take the most risks through this quest, with a nightmare rather than a dream for aura. Out of the ether, its intrigue can become an obsession. To get out of it, We’re Losing Her shifts to another painting.
The touches of sunshine are always balanced out. With a coldness in the guitar or piano chords (I Can Give You That, Say You’re Sorry), or in the vocals tone, firmer (Changeling), and sometimes both (What the Thunder Said). That way, the contrast is subtle and nuanced. Overall, it’s still a bright and relaxing record. It ends with Strawberry Moon and, like its start, it’s a charming tune. Thanks to their poetry, Elysian Fields asks us to take our time in the mystical, mythical, and fascinating atmospheres of What the Thunder Said.
