An intensely personal record, Straight Line Was A Lie is also an immensely listenable one. This new album from The Beths re-affirms that Elizabeth Stokes is one of the best songwriters in indie today, and also one of the most affecting vocalists. What I'm really saying is that this is a record that's damn easy to love.
The title track and "No Joy" have a lot of familiar energy coursing through their hooks. The numbers take the things we liked about The Beths and turn up the volume a bit. However, Straight Line Was A Lie gets more interesting on the mid-tempo numbers. The lilting "Mosquitoes" finds Elizabeth Stokes' voice soaring over a track which has more than a hint of Fleetwood Mac about it, while the starkly beautiful "Mother, Pray for Me" sends chills up the spine. Stokes bares her soul here, and the number, while lovely, is also very affecting. The peppy pop of "Best Laid Plans" takes us back to our usual turf, while "Ark of the Covenant" builds smart hooks around a clever lyrical concept.
What Straight Line Was A Line does so well is reveal the complex emotions of the songwriting of Elizabeth Stokes. The majority of these tunes sound as light as air, with a catchiness that is darn hard to resist. However, there's a lot going on in the lyrics, and on a few numbers at least ("Mother, Pray for Me", most notably), those complicated feelings find purchase in the pop approach of this consistently strong Kiwi outfit. This is a record that works on different levels simultaneously, and which is smart in the way things are put together, with the songs of The Beths retaining that easy-to-love vibe their stuff has always had. Highly recommended.
Straight Line Was A Lie by The Beths is out on ANTI- this week. Details below.
[Photo: Berlinda Carter]