Robin Pecknold gives an intimate account of a politically turbulent six year hiatus, exploring the harsh realities of a new world through art and literature
This brings us to now, 5 years after their hiatus began. Crack-Up is very much a personal document of Pecknold’s experiences since the release of the second album, looking at the broken relationships in the band and with others around him, in a rigorous act of self-examination. He touches upon political issues too, reflecting on the infamous events of last year, from Trump to Brexit to his involvement Black Lives Matter movement. 2016 was a year that turned the world that we once knew upside down. The neoliberal order that has governed the world for 27 years finally took a significant blow, ushering in a new age of uncertainty. Over the course the album, he offers a detailed insight into his fractured mindset over this period, processing this new, surreal, shape-shifting world, and the deteriorating relationships in his life, inviting the listener in to a.
The album takes a more experimental approach than their previous efforts, but still retains their trademark indie-Americana hybrid. This is made clear right from the start. 'I Am All That I Need' includes a disheveled, dissonant acoustic guitar, layered with quiet, breathy, mumbled vocals from Pecknold and a female voice. Enter 'Arroyo Sec / Thumbprint Scar': the solemn stillness is shattered with what sounds like steel drums crashing against each other, resembling a steam engine hissing and rattling along a clunky set of tracks. It is a thrilling contrast to the subdued intro. Structurally, the song builds upon the more progressive approach of Helplessness Blues, as they breezily interchange between 'Arroyo Sec' and 'Thumbprint Scar', stylistically reflecting the lyrics that communicate a sense of distance between the narrator and an old friend or significant other, both divided by an ocean. This image, appropriately displayed on the cover with a tide consuming a craggy beach, is returned to several times throughout the album, offering a more conceptual feel than any of their previous efforts. It is frequently used as a device that emphasises distance between people, one of separation and misunderstanding.
The galvanising opener finishes with the serene sounds of waves washing up against the shore, and a sample from Instagram of a school community choir covering an old Fleet Foxes song 'White Winter Hymnal' mixed in. This transitions into 'Cassius, -', the title being a double entendre, referring to the Roman senator who plotted the assassination of Julius Caesar, and Cassius Clay aka Muhammad Ali. It documents Pecknold's attendance of a New York protest march in response to the murder of 37-year-old black male, Alton Sterling, was held down and shot repeatedly by Baton Rouge police officers last year. Interestingly, the young choir in the sample is a majority black high school based in Harlem, and furthermore, a focus of the lyrics here crucially remind us this man had a family, "a wife, a son, a son, and a daughter". It is a subtlety that solidifies the sense of simultaneous anger and heartbreak felt in the second song. In the first verse, Pecknold sings of the passion and importance of protest:
Song of masses, passing outside
All inciting the fifth of July
When guns for hire open fire
Blind against the dawn
When the knights in iron took the pawn
You and I, out into the night
Held within the line that they have drawn
This seamlessly flows into '- Naiads, Cassadies' and 'Kept Woman', both engaging with navigating the complexities of relationships between men and women. As per usual with Robin's obsession with the classic, it is assessed through the mystery of Greek mythology (Naiads being the deceptively beautiful female spirits of the water). The former has a rough, hollowed-out bass riff, reminiscent of something you would hear from a typical post-punk song, but toning down into the latter, repeating relaxed, harmonious, descending piano and guitar chords.
The almost 9-minute epic, 'Third of May / Ōdaigahara', holds enormous weight, unconventionally using the piano as the base for the hammering guitars. Comparisons can be made to a rock opera such as Pink Floyd's The Wall, but with a more classical tint. Pecknold sings airily yet passionately over the orchestrated chaos. Conceptually the track is really brought to life, alluding to the iconic painting by 19th century artist, Francisco Goya, 'The Third of May 1808'. It is a painting widely considered to be one of the first realistic portrayals of the brutality of war, departing from the glorified, heroic depictions from before. A firing squad execution takes place in Goya's scene, shining a distinct, bright light on the terrified, surrendering subjects standing on bodies caked in a scarlet pool of blood. Pecknold retraces the details of this striking piece of art to reflect on the conflict in the Helplessness Blues tour with one of the most significant people in his life, fellow bandmate, Skye Skjelset. Skye's birthday and the release of their second album land on that date. It is an honest exposition of once-close friends drifting apart, stating a deep sense of regret over that gap between them. The song is ended on a much more gentle note with quiet, rushing guitars shrouded in ethereal ambient textures.
It is a self-deprecating sentiment, but not in a way that seems shallow. It is introspective, analysing his faults, his insecurities, his mistakes, for the goal of self-improvement. This bleeds into many of the tracks on Crack-Up. In 'Fool's Errand', he achingly pines for a romance, despite knowing that any attempts with this person would be doomed to failure. Or in 'Mearcstapa' (march-stepper), he compares himself to the Grendel beast of Beowulf calling himself "deaf and blind".
'I Should See Memphis' works nicely as a bridge to the finale, with a rushing guitar strums with fluttering violins flying overhead, giving it this stirring sense of movement. Robin recaps his fractured mindset, re-referencing some of the themes and lyrics prior:
Endless vacation
Felt like perdition
Sybarite woman
Stood at attention
Pacing the basement
Like Cassius in Rome
Or in Kinshasa
Just let me at him
Like First Manassas
Like Appomattox
I've got my teeth in it
I won't let go
The last five lines here communicate a sudden driving urge to confront this, emphasised with string arrangements. Blaring horn sections boom out providing a spectacular finale in the triumphant title track. Crack-Up (the album) succeeds in taking the listener through a journey of Pecknold's life over the past 5 years. It paints a portrait of a man unsure of the world, its people, its politics, himself. Much like the movements of the waters he immerses himself in, all of these subjects change with the sands of time. "All I can see / dividing tides / rising over me" presents a stunning image to end the album on. It is prophetical in its presentation, citing Moses' parting of the sea. As the ocean caves in on him, he can see with utmost clarity what he has to come face-to-face with, and he is ready for it.
Listen to Crack-Up here: