Comprised of revered American indie singer-songwriter Nina Nastasia (who has amassed a stunning and critically acclaimed discography of unique, darkly melodic albums), and Jeff MacLeod, Clinton St. John, and Morgan Greenwood (also of the band Florida BC), Jolie Laide planted its roots some two decades ago through a mutual connection. The lion’s share of Nastasia’s seven solo albums were masterfully recorded by the late, great Steve Albini, and in the mid-00s, MacLeod and St. John’s old band The Cape May had just finished recording their album Glass Mountain Roads with the veteran engineer. Nina was next in line for the studio. A night of commiserating in the studio led to Albini’s suggestion that The Cape May become Nastasia’s touring band for her upcoming North American and European tours and this pairing turn.
Creatures, their lush, sprawling new 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.’