REVIEW: The Innocence Mission, birds of my neighborhood
(RCA/Kneeling Elephant)
- Jon Steltenpohl
There is something indescribably beautiful about the way an Innocence Mission song can touch you. Softness and delicacy pervade their albums so completely that they makes you take pause. It is a gift that few artists have, and that even fewer can consistently draw upon. With their fourth album in thirteen years, The Innocence Mission has again created an album of incredible simplicity and peace. Although the time between albums is painfully long for their fans, birds of my neighborhood makes the waiting worth it.
birds of my neighborhood was recorded by Don and Karen Peris on vocals and guitars and with bassist Mike Bitts in their home and at a converted factory in Lancaster, Pennsylvania near the Amish country. In the press release, Don Peris says "We recorded all around the house, in the attic, the dining room and in the basement among drying laundry." For a pop album, it is an environment far away from the hustle and bustle of the big city, and it allows for reflection and pondering. Which are exactly what Karen Peris' lyrics thrive upon. She creates a setting that feels like sitting by a frosted window on a quiet winter afternoon and reflecting on the most personal and private moments of your life.
In the past, Karen Peris focused mainly on emotional stories which seemed to be observations of others. Her portraits always seemed to be of dusty images in a forgotten scrapbook, but on birds of my neighborhood she is much more focused on her own struggles. One theme that resonates strongly is the Peris' struggle to have a child. In a sorrowful song called "July," Peris sings, "This barren July / we both wake up so dry / that no more tears can leave us." On "Birdless," she describes a time "when we are lost in Carlisle / when we are birdless / flowerless in the spring / and cannot sing." Yet, in both songs, she finds slight pieces of hope despite her melancholy. "The Lakes of Canada" brilliantly touches on those small flashes of goodness. "Look for me another day," she implores, "I feel that I could change / there's a sudden joy that's like / a fish, a moving light / I thought I saw it / rowing on the lakes of Canada."
Along with their own songs, for the first time, The Innocence Mission includes a cover of another artist. The track is an old John Denver song called "Follow Me." It's a choice that might induce a raised eyebrow or a chuckle, but where Denver's version feels dated, The Innocence Mission brings the song alive. The soft bass and chiming electric guitar put a background on Karen Peris' soft vocals, and, in their hands, it is as much of a love song as it is a lullaby.
The biggest change with birds of my neighborhood is a focus on sparse arrangements. Glow had a more electronic, pop feel to it, and its first sounds were the beat of Steve Brown's drums. But the band has parted ways with percussionist Steve Brown on all but one song on birds of my neighborhood, and has focused on an acoustic bass and guitar rhythm backed with atmospheric bells from the electric guitar and keyboards. While the songs and the style remain true to their previous albums, this is a much more intimate album that doesn't feel the need to keep up with a beat. Peris's unique vocals have always been beautiful yet hard to decipher, and they benefit from this simpler setting. Mike Bitts sticks to an upright acoustic bass, and the lush background he provides is perfectly subtle and sparse.
birds of my neighborhood is another beautiful album from The Innocence Mission. While it doesn't feel as radio friendly as their previous album, Glow, it is a fan's delight. It combines all of those things which makes The Innocence Mission such a treasure. Karen Peris continues her string of deeply simple and emotional portraits of everyday life, and Don Peris' arrangements are dreamy and beautiful.
