THE CIVIL WARS - BARTON HOLLOW
Columbia

The Civil Wars’ Barton Hollow finally gets a UK release, a year after appearing in the US to the sort of acclaim and hype that will immediately cause a critical backlash (just ask Lana Del Rey). Well, if there are naysayers, ignore then – this is a remarkable record, filled with eerily gorgeous, deceptively simple folk duets that are both heartbreakingly intimate and curiously grand.

The structure here is simple – the perfectly blended vocals of Joy Williams and John Paul White, backed with the simplest of accompaniments – often nothing more than an acoustic guitar, the occasional piano, violin or other instrument appearing for brief but telling moments. But on the whole, it’s the vocals, moving from a murmur to plaintive, longing passion, that this album is about. A mix of harmonies and back-and-forth duets that feel like overheard conversations, the songs are astonishing – haunting, emotive, bleak yet beautiful, and just when you think you have their number, a track like Poison and Wine will rise up to a level of sweeping, epic passion that sucks you in and pulls you apart. And with the title track, the band switch to dirty, bluegrass-laden delta blues number that proves them to be no one-trick ponies, as does the following track – the instrumental The Violet Hour, which feels like the soundtrack to some gothic cinematic tale of pain and redemption. And then there is the stripped back, strangely effective cover of Billie Jean…

It’s to The Civil Wars’ credit that these minimalist songs avoid becoming twee or tedious; instead, there is a curious beauty here – as inviting and as chilling as a snow-bound winter’s evening. There’s darkness a-plenty here, but it’s strangely inviting and undeniably arresting work of musical harmony, and pretty essential listening.

DAVID FLINT

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