When Clogs released the Veil Waltz EP in late January-- one new song, with some incidental music and a few unreleased odds and ends-- you'd be forgiven for thinking the post-rock band's forthcoming LP would again be a mostly instrumental mix of modern classical, rock, and jazz. But like their new approach to cover art-- once muted and minimal; here a spectrum of vivid color-- the National's Bryce Dessner and co. have crafted a new version of Clogs that revels in pushing boundaries and redefining their sound.
Veil Waltz does offer one clue: New song "On the Edge", which stands out thanks to a vocal turn by My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden. Effortlessly soaring and trilling above mandola, oboe, and vibraphone, here she's nearly unrecognizable, and the track serves as a striking departure from what both Worden and Clogs are best known for. The rest of that EP finds leader Padma Newsome, Dessner, percussionist Thomast Kozumplik, and bassoonist Rachael Elliot collecting songs they contributed to two film soundtracks-- Turn the River, a low-budget drama directed by Whit Stillman regular Chris Eigeman, and Colony, a documentary about bees. The music on this EP-- from the xylophone lullaby "Turn 13" to the mumbled rustic gypsy-folk on "Parallel Man"-- is lovely, even if some songs cover well-worn orchestral post-rock ground.
Even keeping "On the Edge" in mind, however, won't prepare you for The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton opener "Cocodrillo", an a cappella performance by co-vocalists Worden and Newsome. "These are the creatures in Lady Walton's garden," they intone, round-robin style, while also singing the Italian names of various animals ("cocodrillo," "rana," "pappagallo") in a seemingly onomatopoetic fashion. Composed-- like every song here-- by Newsome, it's a marvel of composition and production, the way the song stacks their voices as each "animal" enters the fray, the cacophony mimicking the sounds of a vibrant jungle. Then, just as skillfully, these voices are removed one at a time, returning the song to its starting point. It's a perfect litmus test for potential Lady Walton listeners, regardless of one's familiarity with Clogs' previous works: By its conclusion, you'll either think this is the most pretentious nonsense in the world, or you'll be taken by its romantic grandeur.
Even if the conceit rubs you wrong, Lady Walton contains the most accomplished and varied music Clogs have recorded to date. "Cocodrillo" is right at home beside a Baroque waltz like "The Owl of Love", and Newsome's Nick-Drake-like vocal turn on "Red Seas" can comfortably share space with "Last Song", which feature the National's Matt Berninger on vocals. Despite the exposure that Sufjan Stevens' appearance on Lady Walton has gotten, fans coming strictly for his contributions might feel slighted, as his input is limited to some singing and banjo strumming on the album's elegiac closing track, "We Were Here". Those coming for a Shara Worden fix, on the other hand, will not be left wanting.
It's fitting that promo pics of the band include Worden, as she's on over half the tracks on Lady Walton, and whether she's making a grand gesture on "The Owl of Love" or simply lending her voice to the firmament as on "Raise the Flag", her contributions are an indelible part of what makes this album work. Some might take issue with her grandiose vocalizing, or perhaps with the words Newsome has her singing. Newsome's lyrics, however, are endemic of the passion that informs and emboldens Lady Walton. It's the same passion that National fans see during the band's live shows, as Newsome careens about the stage, furiously bowing his viola as if he means to saw the thing in half. It's a willingness to look the fool while doing what you love most, to follow your muse wherever it leads and trust its guidance.
