Review Summary: I put my arms around a memory
Weather Alive deliberately holds the listener at an arm’s length. Its eight songs are slow-paced and languid, full of beauty, sure, but of the most reserved and subtle sort. English singer-songwriter Beth Orton’s first record in six years leans on the ambient side of art pop, combining a warmly melancholic atmosphere with gorgeous, bluesy vocals and rich, nostalgic lyrics. Songs like the title track opener and “Forever Young” lay it all out: gentle textures and easy-going tempos which make for low-key stunners. Even a track like “Friday Night”, easily the catchiest tune on offer, evades “banger” status by swathing its irresistible melody in dreamy haze. Orton herself is consistently engaging, whether it’s through the lustful energy which animates “Lonely” or the contemplative feeling of “Arms Around A Memory”. To find comparisons to this album, it’s perhaps easiest to mention Tim Bowness’ solo work, which provides a similar “chilly day solitary walk on the seaside” vibe (an imagining helped along here by the pretty artwork), and Dire Straits at their most restrained and sentimental, if more in terms of spirit than in sound. All this is to say that one certainly shouldn’t turn to
Weather Alive when looking to jam out hard, but for a cohesive batch of wistful mood pieces, look no further.
