In 2011, The Civil Wars released their first album Barton Hollow and since then it has gone certified gold and won two grammys. The folk (they don't really fit into any genre but are a mix of country, folk, americana and indie) duo, which consists of Joy Williams and John Paul White, announced they would be going on hiatus in the middle of their European tour in November. Now, despite not having spoken to each other in over 8 months since then, their sophomore album The Civil Wars is due to come out on August 6. It has been up for streaming on iTunes all week and after listening to it on repeat for several hours, there's no doubt: they've still got it.
Starting off electric and powerful, "The One That Got Away" was the first single released and is a good representation of the changes between the first and this album. Whereas Barton Hollow was a guitar, a piano and their voices The Civil Wars has an added electric sound, drums and a more somber atmosphere. John Paul's voice shines and as always forms the perfect harmonies with Williams' voice in "I Had Me a Girl"; the riff of this song will be stuck in your head for days. "Dust to Dust" is a song that will keep you on the brink of tears with both Williams and White slowly spelling out the issues of loneliness and how its present in everyone with their smooth and soothing harmonizing voices. "Eavesdrop" is a favorite and one of the highlights of the album, not that it's an easy pick but it again features both Williams and White in a graceful collaboration.
The next few tracks range from slower ballads to more Americana influenced sounds like in "Devil's Backbone" which is opened up with Williams' sweeping vocals and backed up by John Paul. And while she does seem to sing a little bit more on this album, they are both on every song. In a previous interview they did mention that choosing who sings what was never an issue in their creative process. Some songs like "From this Valley" , "Oh Henry" and "Disarm" which is a Smashing Pumpkins cover, have only been performed live and are just now being put onto an album. They have kept the lively guitar accompanient but have been just slightly more produced in order to fit the over-all sound of the album. Last time, The Civil Wars wrote "C'est La Vie" but it was all in english, for this album they've written "Sacred Heart" which is entirely and beautifully sung in French.
The last track is a live recording called "D'Arline" , the first and only performance of the song. It's like a little reminder of what the The Civil Wars is, a band formed by two people who's voices go unusually well together accompanied by simple but haunting melodies and lyrics. The album brings you twelve beautiful songs, that's the only downfall. You'll be wishing for more music as soon as it's over.
On their site, Joy Williams explains each track and the circumstances under which they were written. Through this difficult time for the band, they still managed to put out an album that is even more deeply felt and emotional than the previous. It's a little more heartbreaking and raw; The Civil Wars is an album definitely worth checking out. After a hit like Barton Hollow, this one does not disappoint.