Brighter than Creation's Dark by Drive-By Truckers

I loved A blessing and a curse, DBT's previous album. I listened to it obsessively for a while and was quite self-congratulatory about being into the whole "alt country" thing.

The album was strong, both musically and lyrically, and I ended up feeling like no matter how many times I listened to the album, I'd always find something new. And really, isn't what makes and album good it's ability to reveal something new about itself each time you listen to it?

Understandably, I dragged my feet when it came time to listen to DBT's newest album, Brighter Than Creation's Dark. I worried about how the band would recover from Jason Isbell's departure. I worried about how having Shonna Tucker singing more songs would affect the balance of the album. Mostly, though, I worried that I wouldn't like it.

And, on first listen, I didn't.

It started out rocky for me, when I started listening to it. Where was my "Feb. 14?" Where was my strong guitar? Instead, I get "Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife," haunting in it's lyrics and much lighter than what I expected from an opening track.

I had to fight my urge to turn the album off and give DBT the respect of listening to the entire thing before passing judgment.

I'm glad I did.

The album, though not as good as their previous work, was memorable and haunting. Much darker than their last album, Brighter than Creation's Dark was painted with a musical palate of black, dark grey, and deep purple.

This isn't to say that there isn't some rock on the album. There are songs with hard edges and crunchy guitar chords. But they are mixed with lighter, wispy, more ephemeral songs. Ultimately a good mix, I think.