Music Review: Nickel Creek - Why Should The Fire Die?

Time for another album review! This time from another favourite band of mine, Nickel Creek.

Nickel Creek hail from California and I've been a fan of them since I discovered them when they were making publicity for their previous album, This Side. Their music is described as progressive bluegrass. Progressive because it just doesn't do them justice to label them as bluegrass alone. They aren't your daddy's bluegrass. Neither is it the kind of bluegrass you'd find on the "Where Brother Art Thou" soundtrack. This is a new kind of bluegrass, one with an edge. Nickel Creek has started out pretty much as what one would call a traditional bluegrass band, but even then, they dared to be different from the crowd.

Their debut album contained traditional bluegrass tunes and even a few celtic tunes; their sound was mellow, very mellow with great harmonization. The Side continued their journey as a band, continued with the mellow sound and the great harmony, but this time they upped the ante. They dared to be more poppy, yet they also stayed close to their roots, and even added some of their jazz influences. It was a great album, but many of those fans that loved their debut, including fans of traditional bluegrass scoffed at the direction the band was going in. It was also considered very much to be an experiment in bluegrass. Nevertheless, the album garnered them praise. Praise in which I agree in.

Why Should The Fire Die? Indeed. The fire of their passion for music is evident with this album. More than ever, the band continues to experiment and delve beyond the borders of the bluegrass continuum. It continues infusing their jazz influences, continues with very interesting instrumental and vocal arrangements. It becomes mind boggling. It takes a few listens before you can truly appreciate the work that went into this album. It's deeper, darker, edgier, and grittier than their previous albums, one which starts to contemplate questions in life and starts to even sound like an indy record at some point. This is because after two albums, those who were produced by Alison Krauss, they turned to a different producer, a rock producer. The result is an album that is more aggressive. Is it successful? Yes, definitely. While I might not be a fan of the way this one was produced, in the way that it sounds more compressed and less clear and detailed like on their previous albums, I can respect the idea behind the decision that Chris Thile, Mandolin Prodigy Virtuoso, made. He wanted it to sound more like they do their concerts, and while I won't be able to see them live any time soon since I'm in Canada (They haven't toured Canada yet) , at least I can appreciate the idea.

Things that impress me about this album are the lack of a drum kit. There's actually only one song with the use of a drum kit (Helena) and that's towards the end of the song. Most of the album uses strong hooks and melodies, foot stomping and guitar tapping. The use of the upright bass is also something I'm impressed with and it provides a much richer sound than a standard electric bass. Too few bands seem to use the upright these days. On this album, it's used for texture and where drums would normally be used. Imagine deep low notes building and driving the song up into power and intensity as the stuff sitting on your large hi-fi speakers dances around, until your flower pot you have sitting on there takes a walk off the edge. No drums can match that. Overall, I'm impressed with what they can do, and I think it shows that you don't need drums to be cool like everyone else. You just need to be interesting with your instrumentation and choose other ways to express yourself.

So, if you'd like some good folk music to add to your collection, I'd recommend picking this up. Again, it isn't your daddy's bluegrass, but I think you'd be impressed at what this band can accomplish. Their fire won't die anytime soon.

Album: Nickel Creek - Why Should The Fire Die?
Publisher: Sugarhill Records
Release Date: August 2005 (Out Now everywhere)
Bonus Material?: No
Site: www.nickelcreek.com
e-card: Right here