Why Should the Fire Die?

Recently, Nickel Creek released their third studio album. It has taken some interesting turns away from their old sound and is in some ways a gutsy album. They have always had very melodic somgs with tight harmonies and excellent musicianship. Chris Thile is in many ways, their weakest vocalist yet is their primary vocalist. This is disappointing to me because his voice is very brash, but it is their choice and since he writes most of the music, he sings it too.

They start off pretty upbeat with 'When in Rome'. They used more processing on this cd and it is more evident on this first song. The song is solid though, with quite the catchy melody. 'Scotch and Chocolate' is an instrumental that they have been doing in concert for years now. They finally recorded it in the contrast of the song recorded well. 'Tomorrow is a Long Time' is a cover of the Bob Dylan original that Sara Watkins pulls off lightly and refreshingly. 'Doubting Thomas' and 'Why Should the Fire Die' are nicer ballads that sooth the soul. On the other hand, 'Helena' is a song that grows in intensity that ends with the full band including drums. This is the first time in their recordings that they have used drums. It came as a shock to me, but comes off very well.

I could write about each song but that would bring a long and boring review. This album is darker and deeper than previous offerings. They aren't afraid to especially go to the dark side of relationships. The album is overall different. It is good and risky for them, but don't necessarily expect it to be a carbon copy of previous works. For that I applaud them. Bands don't do that enough these days.