I never thought I would listen to a whole album by Jack White again but I was proven so wrong. Currently on repeat, matching my brain (that is on vacation).
That it's been fifteen years since How To Dress Well was one of the first in the then blogosphere to crank up the reverb on soulful collage-pop is almost too much to grasp. It feels like yesterday. That Tom Krell would still be relevant this far later was honestly never a given, but the fact is, on I Am Toward You, he feels vital. The soon-to-be 40-year-old Colorado native delivers lyrics filled with philosophical references, soundscapes with unexpected and intricate elements - but also beautiful falsetto singing as only he can.
With a timeless expression and a nasal singing style, one can go far, as we have learned from the American folk tradition. Jessica Pratt also adds a dreamy, reverb-filled layer that expands the sound image beyond what the genre is used to. Here in the Pitch is truly an album for the retro-nostalgic listener, in a California-in-the sixties-kind of way.