Review Summary: Now is never. And they're living for the never.
In "Before the World Was Big", Cleo and Harmony were adults pausing the world and viewing it through the lens of distant youth. Frozen in time with staccato instrumentation through bass and guitar and no trace of percussion, a blunt but unassuming personality emerged in their music. A comfort to them, but a challenge to us, like trying to readapt to the elusively straightforward vernacular of children that we ourselves have not spoken in all too long.
But Girlpool's instrumental lineup has expanded for their newest project "Powerplant". "123" begins with the lighter touch we would imagine from their previous album. Yet with the arrival of drums and guitars that speak out proudly but fade away to be superseded by the next stinging strum, the world is gaining traction once again. Girlpool now needs to speak on our terms. Their voices still ring with the remnants of childish candor and sudden tantrums, occasionally splitting into harmony like two six year-olds talking obliviously over each other. However, they are now subject to the stop-and-go of the world, stuck counting one, two, three and waiting. Lengthier lead-ins and instrumental breaks are forcing our heroines into patience, while the presence of a rhythmic pulse prods their Child's Size 7 shoes into staggering to keep pace with the big boy Birkenstocks in the land of the adults.
Those that have previously denounced Girlpool for their minimalistic songwriting may be pleasantly surprised by the seeming evolution of their style, yet for the wrong reasons. Progress and "moving forward" are not synonymous. Girlpool does not value the childlike wonderment at watching a Roly Poly curl up into its signature ball any less than they do the intricate planning of date night for one's beau after finishing their slot in the schedule of Becky's soccer team carpool. We've witnessed Girlpool living for the immediate, but now they're recognizing the rules of the world in motion while trying to slip back in the intermittent moment, gazing fresh-faced and dewy eyed believing the world is "Static Somewhere".
