Review of Nickel Creek new Album "A Dotted Line" NOW AVAILABLE ON ITUNES

First off, frick my review listen for yourself. But this is my take.

A Dotted Line

1. Rest of My Life - Off Tempo, old country style song. Seems like it's gonna be a slow simple sad song the whole way through. Then boom, the vocals hit you like a Thile mandolin through the back of your head. Extremely good and haunting harmonies. This song is definitely growing on me and the chord progressions show how they've grown as individual musicians.

2. Destination - Maybe a single off the album? Very fun and poppy feel to this minor-esque song. Harmonies layered all throughout this one (as with many of the other songs). A couple of listens to this and it'll become stuck in your head. Very good song.

3. Elsie - The first instrumental of the record and man is it beautiful. If you're familiar with Bela Flecks "Big Country", then this will certainly appeal to you. They go back to roots of their native instruments on this one and it has been on repeat for a while. Great great song.

4. Christmas Eve - I'd like to dub this one the first love (or lack thereof) song of the album. It's a whimsical heart break song where the person singing has just ended a relationship of some sort on Christmas Eve. It goes about with interesting chord changes that seem out of place but fall back in when the bar is done. It continues through New Years Eve and the hopes that the flame is still there with a haunting "please darling wait, it's not all over yet" swirling about. Decent tune, not my favorite by far.

5. Hayloft - Okay... So you're just gonna have to listen to this one yourself. I would say it has the production of some "florence and the machine" feel to it? Sounds like electric drums and and very produced. Since I'm not a huge fan of todays sound, this one has to grow on me. That being said, the fact that this group is comprised of such talented and deep rooted musicians, the diminished vibe really makes it different than todays stuff. While writing this review I've listen to it about 3 more times and I can see other people really digging this song, it's fun. Not for me though.

6. 21st Of May - Traditional sounding bluegrass 1-4-5 with a minor thrown in. Sounds like it's gonna be pretty standard the way through... Not this group. Of course a huge chorus of harmonies come busting through in a minor/major changing chorus. A great augmented step up just one time during the hook just before the "21st of May" further solidifies my opinion of how well this trio can write . Great catchy bluegrass song, little bit of faith thrown in.

7. Love of Mine - This is the song I've listened to the most. Maybe coincidental it was released for preview first? Perhaps, but that doesn't stop it from being my favorite. The english language hasn't created a synonym for "gorgeous" that would give this tune the merit it deserves. I've use the term haunting a few times here and there but this is the true definition of "hauntingly beautiful". The harmonies, chord progressions, and key changes are just perfect. It is a journey through the writers eyes of the idea of love. With lines like, "love of mine, when you die I tell myself that you never lived", it's sure to hit some chord in everyone.

8. Elephant in the Corn - YeeHaw mother frickers. This is the 2nd and last instrumental song on the record. This is a bluegrass song with bits of classical thrown in. Don't ask me how they did that, just listen. Fairly intricate song with Thile and the Watkins sibling containing a y chromosome playing a stunning call and answer riff before it crescendos into a beautiful fiddle section by Sara. Just over 5 minutes of fun popping bluegrass. Cant wait to hear this one live.

9. You Don't Know What's Going On - Another "modern" sounding pop song, but much less produced than "Hayloft". Very staccato sections for the verses and a mad bass line running through the chorus. Great Harmonies from about halfway through. Then of course plenty of crazy fun diminished/augmented chords that coalesce into an angry swarm of string instrument bliss. This song is worth another listen for sure.

10. Where is Love Now - Break out the tissues. This song is very slow and soothing. Sounding the most like their older stuff, Sara sings some beautiful verses until all 3 join in a circus of perfect harmonies. A 4:45 song about something sad, I quit listening. It's pretty, but I'm headed back to listen to "Love of Mine".

I give this album a 9.3 out of 10. Great shite.