THE WEATHER STATION at the Great Hall, Thursday (May 14), 8 pm. $13.50. rotate.com, soundscapesmusic.com, ticketfly.com.
Judging by the positive early reviews, the Weather Station‘s third album, Loyalty (Outside), may turn out to be the record that helps Tamara Lindeman break through to a larger international audience.
The Toronto folksinger is understandably proud of her new release, even if the lyrics often dwell on the topic of shame.
“A lot of it focuses on things I’m ashamed of or that I regret,” Lindeman says between sips of tea. “It’s a record of mistakes – things I’ve seen that are not right but that I haven’t figured out how to fix yet. I’ve always been so polite and kind to everyone, but in a lot of cases I should have spoken up. I think I write songs about things when they’re bothering me and I can’t quite figure them out.”
Her vocal melodies float gently over soft guitar-picking, but the songs themselves feel solid rather than ethereal. While still a quiet album, it’s much fuller than her earlier work, and reveals an increasing confidence.
Alongside her solo material, Lindeman has long performed as part of other bands, including Bruce Peninsula and Bahamas. It was touring with the latter that led to recording Loyalty at La Frette Studios in France with Bahamas’ Afie Jurvanen and producer Robbie Lackritz. Jurvanen decided he didn’t need to use the rest of his recording time to finish his album and wanted to work with her on Loyalty.
It’s a perfect match, but don’t expect Jurvanen’s soulful blues rhythms to overpower Lindeman’s airy acoustic folk songs.
“It was actually the other way around. I was the one who wanted him to do more, but he was more protective of the sensitivity in the songs than I was because that was something he was a fan of. I kept trying to get him to play more guitar riffs, but he thought it would ruin it.”
benjaminb@nowtoronto.com | @benjaminboles
