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- Summary: The latest solo release for the Michigan indie rock singer-songwriter features guest appearances from Elliot Bergman, Anna Burch, Common Holly, Dominic Coppola, and Ashley Hennen.
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- Record Label: Polyvinyl
- Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Indie Rock, Experimental Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter
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Score distribution:
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Positive: 3 out of 4
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Mixed: 1 out of 4
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Negative: 0 out of 4
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Oct 3, 2018There's the jangly A-side, four bittersweet anthems laced with hard lessons and regrets. "You can't feel the damage until after it happens," notes Thomas on the upbeat "Altar"--and indeed, that's where the blizzard sets in. ... Throughout the windswept second half, the steady march of time clashes against a disturbing stasis, where washes of loops and synths magnify the festering wounds often concealed under the skin. Do those scars ever heal? Thomas can't answer that, which makes Aftering only resonate more in this writer's mind.
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Oct 3, 2018Continuing in the direction of Fred Thomas' previous two albums, the equally outstanding All Are Saved and Changer, Aftering is filled with vivid descriptions of particular moments from throughout the prolific songwriter's life, as well as more general encapsulations of the bleak, uncertain feelings clouding the landscape of late-2010s America.
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Oct 3, 2018In the progression of addiction, we’re past the “fun with problems” stage and right into “problems.” The tuneful first half of Aftering could blur this distinction, but Thomas’ chipper melodies add insult to injury, a mocking reminder of what it felt like to get your hopes up in the first place. ... Aftering’s second half of ambient tone poems puts Thomas in direct comparison with guys he’s been tangentially evoking over the span of the trilogy: Mark Kozelek and Phil Elverum, mercurial, prolific songwriters.
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Oct 3, 2018While Aftering doesn’t have the consistency of Changer, it is urgent and incisive when it wants to be and serves as further proof of Thomas’ talents.