City And Colour - If I Should Go Before You (Album Review)
Wednesday, 14 October 2015
Written by Laura Johnson
Five albums in, change is afoot in the world of City and Colour. Dallas Green, fresh from a riotous set of reunion shows with Alexisonfire, has made notable shift from the stripped-back early days of the project on ‘If I Should Go Before You’, overseeing a progression towards a fuller, more collaborative sound with the backing of his touring band.
Woman, the album’s opener, starts things off on a sombre note. “I will stand beneath the silver moon rising, waiting to resurrect our love,” Green sings, painting a painful picture over a nine minute epic that beautifully illustrates the soundscapes he is capable of creating with his new found accompaniment.
On the flipside of the coin, Northern Blues is a welcome nod to the fondly remembered early City and Colour material and the words of Mizzy C show Green’s hesitation at straying from a winning formula: “I keep on recycling stories from my youth that I’ve told before. If I try to change direction, I might not find what I’m looking for.”
The title track just about survives unscathed as its musical prowess outweighs some lyrical cliches - “Our endless love will remain, until we meet again.” - to make a sickeningly sweet pill a little easier to swallow.
Shortly after, Wasted Love injects a well needed dose of oomph into proceedings, upping the tempo and reminding us of the bite Green is capable of while still maintaining an effortlessly catchy appeal.
There is a thread of self-deprecation that runs through Green’s songs, which is particularly apparent on Runaway. “I know that I’ve earned it, but most days I don’t feel like I deserve this,” he sings, but ‘If I Should Go Before You’ is a fine, if slightly uneven, reminder of the groundwork that has got him to this point. An accomplished and heartfelt record worthy of your time and consideration.
City and Colour Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Thu February 18 2016 - BRIGHTON Brighton Dome
Fri February 19 2016 - CARDIFF University Great Hall
Sat February 20 2016 - MANCHESTER Albert Hall
Mon February 22 2016 - DUBLIN Olympia
Tue February 23 2016 - BELFAST Mandela Hall
Wed February 24 2016 - GLASGOW O2 Academy Glasgow
Fri February 26 2016 - LONDON Troxy
Sat February 27 2016 - LONDON Troxy
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