jolie laide - creatures - victory pool

Creatures is the lush, sprawling new album from Jolie Laide, a collective of seasoned artists who connected at famed producer Steve Albini’s studio two decades ago. Comprised of revered American singer-songwriter Nina Nastasia (who has amassed a stunning, critically acclaimed discography of darkly melodic albums), Jeff MacLeod and Clinton St. John (The Cape May, Pale Air Singers, Florida BC) and Morgan Greenwood (Florida BC, Baths, Azeda Booth), their sophomore album envelops a dynamic range (roots, spaghetti westerns, post-punk, sludge and electronic pop) of sonic approaches. The through-line is St. John and Nastasia’s conversational, layered duet, with her disarmingly sweet, world-weary and laser-sharp voice buffered by St. John's signature emotive tones. Powerfully poetic, often anthemic, narratives soar over Greenwood and MacLeod’s layered multi-instrumental wizardry: delay swirls and overdubbed toms, dusty, percussive rhythm, cascades of effected guitars and psychedelic glows. Fittingly, as their name translates to ugly/pretty, the band’s stories find grace and beauty in the imperfect with lyrics that ponder the existence of ghosts, depict strangers meeting in a post-apocalyptic wasteland and an overlord listening in a holding cell. A line from a Creatures’ song “Something for the Thrill” encapsulates the music: ‘falling leaf, sitting on the borderline, hits you like a symphony.’