ARTIST: Waxahatchee
TITLE: American Weekend
YEAR RELEASED: 2012
CHART ACTION: None
SINGLES: None
OTHER SONGS YOU MAY KNOW: Be Good
LINEUP: Katie Crutchfield
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT: Debut solo album was recorded in a bedroom and was noticed by NPR, kick starting a career.
SOME WORDS, PHRASES AND CLAUSES ABOUT THIS RECORD: I’m not against lo-fi, but at times it seems like a big effort to listen to the tracks. Also, I’m not against bedroom recordings, as the intimacy. But again, the fidelity can be a challenge.
Katie Crutchfield’s solo project (as Waxahatchee ), overcomes those challenges by writing some damn fine tunes. The recording has quite a bit of treble, and is mastered pretty hot, but Crutchfield’s songs carry the day.
Just a guitar and a voice can make a powerful statement.
NOTES & MINUTIAE: Crutchfield was a leader in the band P.S. Eliot, with her twin sister.
IS THERE A DELUXE VERSION: No
GRADE: A: It’s the songs, excuse the fidelity.