Above the Prairie, the latest album from The Pines, from Minneapolis, feels like a call and response between the universe and our little lives here on Earth. It is exploratory both in the lyrical and musical sense, and with each listen I’ve heard sounds or turns of phrase that escaped me on previous spins. Songs on Above the Prairie often begin with ethereal music that approximates the soundscape of the northern lights, but then they quickly transition to uniquely earthly sounds–the whine of a fiddle, the percussive plunk of a piano, a soft guitar strum. In this sense, the record reminds listeners both of how small we are and how important we can be to each other.
“Where Something Wild Still Grows” is a great example of the spaces the band travels on this album. The chorus goes like this: “Come to me, through the trees / Past the city, beyond the glow. / We’ll find a place in this world / Where something wild still grows.” In this sense, it feels straightforward–a pining sense for authenticity in a world where, “We format our dreams to fit our screens / And have less and less to say.” It’s a song that you could play solo on an acoustic guitar, but The Pines accentuate the sense of urgency and possibility in the lyrics with a wonderful shuffle drum beat and perfectly subtle runs on the piano. The music hints in response to ideas that the lyrics gesture to, but don’t explicitly name.
“Leaving Me Hanging From The Earth” is similar–the song begins in a subdued way but builds to an almost anthemic chorus: “And all along the way, I was dreaming, dreaming / But I lost my way, now you’re leaving / Me hanging from the earth.” In the most literal description of gravity’s influence on our bodies, I suppose hanging from the earth is what we’re all doing here in this “galaxy of broken hearts.” This song, like many on Above the Prairie expresses the confidence in the “power of a kiss in the infinite abyss / To say it’ll be alright.”
If you had to press me to compare this sound to another band, it would be really hard to do. They remind me of early My Morning Jacket, but that’s not quite right because of Jim James’s voice which makes comparisons to MMJ feel wrong. They remind me of Wilco, but while The Pines seem equally interested in sound, they’re not drawn to noise or feedback. They share some resemblance to Hiss Golden Messenger and Bob Dylan too. I guess this is all to say that they have carved out a sound all their own–one that feels comfortable and familiar, but is also full of surprise and rewards careful listening.
The album closes with “Time Dreams,” a spoken word piece featuring John Trudell and Quiltman and it’s incredible. Quiltman is a T’ygh elder and sings beautifully as Trudell examines how “our memories come from the earth / and return to the earth. / In the reunion, our pulse comes from the sky / and returns to the sky.” Above the Prairie is a out on February 5 and you can get it here. To see The Pines live, check their tour dates here.