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IN REVIEW: Laura Jane Grace - "Stay Alive"

 


While many expected the eighth Against Me! record to arrive in 2020, 2020 has had other plans for everyone. Rather than sit back silently, Laura Jane Grace decided to book a whirlwind recording session with Steve Albini; the result is the quickly recorded and quick-playing Stay Alive, its fourteen largely acoustic solo performances clocking in at just under a half hour that sometimes hearkens back to the DIY feel of early Against Me!

As an album, Stay Alive doesn't offer a great deal of deviation from its aesthetic; as mentioned, the majority of these songs are simple acoustic guitar and voice performances, with the occasional appearance of an electric guitar and/or drum machine (most noticeably on SuperNatural Possession, the closest thing to a feasible radio single this album has). 

I can't really complain about the bare bones presentation, though; some of this material may have suffered with the rawness stripped away. Besides, the solitary vibe is much more in step with the times than a full-band bombast. There will surely be a time for bombast when the worst of our global pandemic is over, so what's wrong with some honest, vulnerable introspection while we wait?

October 1, 2020 • Polyvinyl
Highlights The Calendar Song • SuperNatural Possession • Hanging Tree

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