Trampled by Turtles: Alpenglow
For nearly 20 years, the perfect-storm sextet that is Trampled by Turtles has continued to toe the line with creative sounds and unforgettable lyrics, establishing the band as one of the most voracious touring acts in the country. With their tenth studio album, Alpenglow, TBT shows no signs of faltering behind the new release. A testament to the edges that the band harmoniously blurs between the stomping realm of Bluegrass and the driving rhythms of solid Rock-n-Roll, Trampled by Turtles have always stirred the music genre cauldron with their poetic verse and spot-on sound: Always flawless, always original.
Alpenglow - A title that alludes to the way the fading sun paints the distant hills and peaks in vibrant reddish shades at dusk and dawn, boasts 11 tracks that share the same beautiful phenomenon: centered around the shade of fading days, but knowing that the brighter moments await just beyond the horizon. Illustrated by the lead vocals and wordsmithing of Dave Simonett, the album seems to blanket the mind: the type of music that closes the eyes tight and sways the head to the flow. This is Trampled by Turtles at their very best and this is the very emotion that listeners can expect to conjure with each new verse.
Straight from the opening with “It’s So Hard To Hold On,” there’s the undeniable, soft thunder that defines the TBT sound, built around the rise and fall of Simonett’s beautifully woeful voice and the backing instrumentation kicking down the door. It’s an ode to the journey - finding fresh paths on which to venture. Simonett’s ability to mold simple words into juggernaut phrasing is astounding:
Sing a song
In a way that you never
Did before
A Minnesota-based force, pushing the standards of what defines a traditional string ensemble, the cast remains magical on Alpenglow with Simonett (guitar), Erik Berry (mandolin), Ryan Young (fiddle), Dave Carroll (banjo), Tim Saxhaug (bass) and Eamonn McLain (cello) - each a master craftsman to the unified sonics of TBT.
Released by Thirty Tigers and produced by the wizardry of Wilco’s own, Jeff Tweedy, Alpenglow demonstrates the very essence of TBT - that which you cannot colonize, label, nor mistake. Some may call it ‘Progressive Bluegrass’ while others shout ‘Americana.’ Wherever you choose to aim your finger, let’s just call it Damn Good.
“Nothing but Blue Skies” laments the long nights of living hard that tend to give way to those foggy, regretful mornings of reality. Simonett, in a smooth, knowingly defeated tone:
I drank than more than I should
I can’t help it, it felt good
I’ll see you tomorrow
If you’ll open the door
The album is a delicate collision of thought and storytelling: the moving toward tomorrow, but knowing what has been, remains. “We’re Alright,” “Quitting is Rough” and “The Party’s Over” wind-down the collection, highlighted by the continued marriage of longing and forlorn that encompasses the aura of the release, always stitching artistry and prose with ease and unmatched precision. Dedicated fans will find it haunting; new fans will gawk at the combination of strings, enchanted by the lyrics. When the last chord has been plucked, know this: Trampled By Turtles have a masterpiece on their hands with Alpenglow - perhaps one of the absolute best of 2022, and not a moment too late.
Find out more about Trampled by Turtles below: