Album Review: The Weather Station - The Weather Station

Music that is precise and austere is often tagged as being overly clinical and lacking soul - and by association, substance.

It can be a fine line to tread and The Weather Station perform a balancing act on their fourth album. The self-titled affair takes a dash of Joni Mitchell, adds a splash of Beth Orton and paints it in the kind of melancholic indie with string arrangements that bands like Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear do so well. The album starts in a low-key manner before Kept It All To Myself quickens the pace with a hooky chorus and some brisk and light-fingered guitar playing. From there the intimacy becomes increasingly welcoming, revealing the pleasures in the subtle nuances of this quietly rewarding album.