Weyes Blood knows how to embrace the past. Even not her own. Musically, Front Row Seat to Earth recalls not only late sixties or seventies (think post-Blue Joni Mitchell), but surprisingly, also the Middle Ages. Maybe it’s not an accurate comparison, but it does sound like something you’d imagine was from the late Middle Ages. Natalie Mering’s mesmerizing voice harmonizes beautifully with harp, piano, guitar, organ or even, virtually, nothing but the echoing backing vocals (Can’t Go Home).
That said, Front Row Seat to Earth is first and foremost a lyrical album. These seven words I say to you, one by one/I love you and you have to know, Mering confesses to her loved one on Seven Words, however she doesn’t mention what those words are, leaving it to our imagination. These seven words are no longer mine/Who am I but a stranger who took you down, she later adds. And whilst Weyes Blood focuses mostly on universal themes, there’s this one particular song, which normally would have felt really out of place, but here it’s not. On Generation Why, in a humorous way, Mering talks about the change in communication due to mobile phone, concluding everything with a big ol’ obnoxious Y-O-L-O, why?, which would probably (no puns intended) make Drake proud.
What makes Weyes Blood’s breakthrough LP great is both relatability and accessibility. It may be a folk album, but at its core, it’s pure pop. Given that, her second solo record is organic, ethereal and timeless.
4 / 5