So it's unsurprising that In Blood Memory is excellent, seeing as how both Dead Wood Falls and Hidden Hands were both so extremely good - the second of those, in particular, really hit me between the eyes and became quite a meaningful one for me (eg).
A few things about it. For one, overall it has a bit more of a rock feel - on the excellent "Toothless Tiger", say, coming on all Velvet Underground - and it works. For seconds, there are a lot of musical references scattered throughout, from the overtness of "David Bowie Eyes" (with its roll call of iconic outsiders - Morrison, Smith (Patti), Bowie, the Pixies, Kurt & Courtney) to at least a couple of lyrical quotations (Bowie again on the "ch-ch-ch-change me" of highlight "Name in Lights", Cohen's "love is not a victory march") - but in a way that feels natural, an outgrowth of Cloher's love of pop music, rather than in any way programmatic. And it's also a completely unpretentious record, built on what are, in a lot of ways, quite straight-up songs and arrangements, with no trickery to disguise any shortcomings that might have existed - just really well constructed and delivered tunes, from an artist of genuine talent and craft. A really good listen.
A few things about it. For one, overall it has a bit more of a rock feel - on the excellent "Toothless Tiger", say, coming on all Velvet Underground - and it works. For seconds, there are a lot of musical references scattered throughout, from the overtness of "David Bowie Eyes" (with its roll call of iconic outsiders - Morrison, Smith (Patti), Bowie, the Pixies, Kurt & Courtney) to at least a couple of lyrical quotations (Bowie again on the "ch-ch-ch-change me" of highlight "Name in Lights", Cohen's "love is not a victory march") - but in a way that feels natural, an outgrowth of Cloher's love of pop music, rather than in any way programmatic. And it's also a completely unpretentious record, built on what are, in a lot of ways, quite straight-up songs and arrangements, with no trickery to disguise any shortcomings that might have existed - just really well constructed and delivered tunes, from an artist of genuine talent and craft. A really good listen.
