{"id":3108,"date":"2024-02-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-29T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dwjqp1.com\/faye-webster-underdressed-symphony-music-review-5482e329dabbee4b6e499c1d5677995e\/"},"modified":"2024-02-29T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-02-29T00:00:00","slug":"faye-webster-underdressed-symphony-music-review-5482e329dabbee4b6e499c1d5677995e","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dwjqp1.com\/faye-webster-underdressed-symphony-music-review-5482e329dabbee4b6e499c1d5677995e\/","title":{"rendered":"Music Review: Faye Webster's indie 'Underdressed at the Symphony' journeys through a lifetime"},"content":{"rendered":"
Faye Webster, known for her thoughtful blend of indie rock, folk and country<\/a>, has a new album titled \u201cUnderdressed at the Symphony.\u201d The release journeys through a lifetime \u2014 looking back at childhood and ahead to adult relationships \u2014 without ever sounding rushed.<\/p>\n The Atlanta-based singer-songwriter\u2019s new record retains the warm, relaxed tone of her earlier work, but here, she has crafted a more balanced musical collage. Her longtime band \u2014 including her now-signature pedal steel sound, courtesy of musician Matt \u201cPistol\u201d Stoessel \u2014 sets the mood, as do the measured doses of jazz, hip-hop, classical, and alt-country influences that defy simple categorization. All of the songs here are live-room recordings, giving Webster and her band the space to interact and improvise. <\/p>\n At 26, Webster is a decade into her professional career (the folky \u201cRun and Tell,\u201d released when she was 16, marked her debut.) Her veterancy is clear from the outset with the cool, downtempo opener, \u201cThinking About You.\u201d The track ends with a glockenspiel, the only one on the record, which playfully nudges the listener to wake up and pay attention to what is to come.<\/p>\n From there, the album<\/a> is generally understated \u2014 like the breezy \u201cFeeling Good Today\u201d \u2014 a trademark of Webster\u2019s. On the select occasions when her reservations make way for musical fireworks, they hit the mark, particularly in the singles \u201cBut Not Kiss\u201d and \u201cLego Ring.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE<\/p>\n Music Review: Kacey Musgraves\u2019 \u2018Deeper Well\u2019 trades country-pop hooks for deep, folk-y meditation<\/a><\/p>\n Music Review: Ariana Grande triumphs over heartbreak on seventh studio album, \u2018eternal sunshine\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Music Review: Bleachers edge past The Boss as Jack Antonoff finds a new sort of peace<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cBut Not Kiss\u201d starts with the soft strumming and a near whisper, \u201cI want to sleep in your arms\u2026\u201d she sings, then jolts to complete the thought, \u201c\u2026but not kiss,\u201d atop theatrical piano. The song continues with a series of quiet-loud pairings of intimate and thunderous confessions. (\u201cI want to see you in my dreams but then forget,\u201d in one verse, \u201cI hope you\u2019re OK, but I won\u2019t ask\u201d in another.)<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cLego Ring\u201d is similarly explosive, fluctuating abruptly between fuzzy mid-tempo rock and dreamy hip-hop. Accompanied by Atlanta rapper Lil Yachty<\/a> run through Auto-Tune, the song captures a yearning for childhood, warts and all. She sings, \u201cI wanna Lego ring\/I want it to hurt my finger\/I want a Lego ring\/Want it crystal clear.\u201d The impact may be disorienting on first listen, but infectious by the third.<\/p>\n Elsewhere on the album, longer tracks stretch and wander with hypnotic repetitions of choruses and extended instrumental jams. In that regard, \u201cLifetime\u201d lands somewhere between the noir rock band Elysian Fields and 1950s jazz improvisation<\/a>. <\/p>\n In all, Webster has built upon the solid foundation of her previous work. This is an album designed for an end-to-end listen, and the fine musicianship, lyrics, and thoughtful sequencing throughout make it a worthwhile journey. <\/p>\n
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