»Such Ferocious Beauty« ist ein Klassiker der Cowboy Junkies und eine weitere Dimension der kanadischen Lo-Fi-Band, die, nun ja, aus der Familie besteht.
Geschrieben zwischen dem langen, isolierenden Sommer 2020 und 2021, als Michael Timmins sich von seiner Familie verabschiedete, in ein Cottage reiste und sich auf das Schreiben konzentrierte, bewaffnet mit Büchern von DH Lawrence, Walt Whitman, David Whyte, der Bibel, der Odyssee und dem Wunsch, dieser Phase seines Lebens einen Sinn zu geben.
Während diese zehn Songs als akustische Rorschach-Aufnahmen von Emotionen, dem Leben und sogar dem Schicksal dienen, gibt es eine unausgesprochene gemeinsame Basis, die sie verbindet. Vom gequälten Blues von "Hell Is Real" bis zum schmachtenden Mäandern von "Knives Are Drawn", beide vom Sänger an den Hörer gerichtet, beobachtend, mahnend, den Vorhang zurückziehend. Letztendlich landen sie alle am selben Ort: dem Individuum, das in die Welt hinausschaut und sich fragt: "Wie passe ich in diese Welt? Wie kann ich meine Menschlichkeit bewahren?
While bands organized around siblings have a tradition of volatility -- think of the Kinks, the Blasters, Creedence Clearwater Revival, or Oasis -- the Cowboy Junkies are an exception. Three of the four members -- vocalist Margo Timmins, guitarist Michael Timmins, and drummer Peter Timmins -- are siblings, and the fourth member, bassist Alan Anton, has known them since childhood (he and Michael were in the same class in kindergarten). The Junkies have had the same lineup since they first formed in 1985, boasting a stability few groups of their generation can match. However, even happy families have issues to deal with, and while 2020's Ghosts was written and recorded after the death of the Timmins' mother, 2023's Such Ferocious Beauty came not long after they lost their father, who was living with dementia in his final years. Grief was the subtext of Ghosts, and on Such Ferocious Beauty, it takes center stage; these ten songs are open in their contemplation of death and its aftermath, the gnawing sense of loss, the anger and confusion brought on after losing a loved one, and the not-always-comforting contemplation of the afterlife. The group's traditionally languid sound is punctuated with occasional peals of feedback and noise from Michael's guitar, as well as the more traditionally melancholy report of the violin, and there's an edge in the sweet, smoky tone of Margo's voice that matches the more difficult mood of the lyrics. "Every man has a plan, until he's punched in the mouth," Margo sings on "Mike Tyson (Here It Comes)," and sometimes quietly, sometimes with aural chaos, this album captures the feel of being hit with the left hook of cruel fate. ("What man regards as evil, God could care less about" from "Throw a Match" sums up their less-than-rosy take on religion in a time of crisis.) Fans who have developed a taste for the sweet sadness of the Cowboy Junkies' best work may find Such Ferocious Beauty a bit strong and confrontational for their taste, but that's very much the point of this music; this isn't rooted in solace, but in exorcising the demons that come from losing loved ones, and it's a difficult but eloquent act of public mourning.
(by Mark Deming, All Music Guide)
Plattentipp 
