‘Titanic Rising’ remains one of my favourite albums from 2019. Released last April, the album received critical acclaim for its incredible orchestration, production, and writing.
The beautiful string arrangements supporting Weyes Blood’s stunning voice and backing vocals are real standouts on the album. Both give the music elegance and have a Phil Spector, Beach Boy-esque quality with an enormous sound, especially on tracks like ‘Everyday’ and ‘Picture Me Better’.
The album’s rich instrumentation and arrangements are coupled with the ominous and ambient synths and darker passages noticeably on tracks movies and mirror forever. The album has a brilliant balance of light and dark and I don’t think there’s a single weak track.
So you can imagine how excited I was going into Weyes’s sold-out London show to see how ‘Titanic Rising’ translates live. I was hoping the powerful arrangements and delicate dark passages retain their mystery and fragility without a full orchestra, and I was super impressed by the quintet’s efforts.
They had a great performance and replicated ‘Titanic Rising’s’ immense sound superbly, playing through most tracks off the album. The set was broken up with a few songs from prior to ‘Titanic Rising’, but one of the highlights was a stunning cover of a Whiter Shade of Pale by Procol Harum. Weyes’s vocal performance felt so natural, completely owning the song. In-between songs, Weyes would entertain the audience with anecdotes. I thought she was a good laugh and enjoyed the interludes between songs.
I recommended catching Weyes and her band on tour if you can as you won’t be disappointed. Her stage show was great, her set strong and her band was top notch. Shout out to her bassist who gave a marvellous performance. Such lovely bass melodies.
The Rough Trade Sessions were released last month featuring a stripped-down live EP of tracks from ‘Titanic Rising’.
Find out more about 2020 tour dates.
