Hier mal ein Review, aus der Jahresbestenliste von Cokemachineglow:
Peter HepburnComing three years and one label change after Run to Ruin, Nina Nastasia’s gorgeous new album cements her position as a capital-I Important American singer-songwriter. Significantly sparser than her previous work, On Leaving often seems like the outline of a record: the important bits are here — brilliant lyrics, dreamy imagery, excellent melodies — but the music seems almost an afterthought. Of course, with Jim White’s skittish-yet-flawless drumming, Dylan Willemsa’s beautiful string arrangements, and Steven Beck’s gorgeous, tentative piano lines backing her up, Nastasia proves the outline can be as haunting as the whole.
On Leaving has proven to be one of those records that I seem to like more on every listen. Everything from the weird dissonance of „Jim’s Room“ to the quiet, heartfelt beauty of „If We Go To the West“ grows with multiple listens. You start to notice how White never really seems to rest in a groove for more than a few bars, but is constantly shifting and moving. It took me a dozen listens to grasp just how good Beck’s piano lines are, especially on tracks like „Our Day Trip“ and „Counting Up Your Bones“, where he manages to define the songs with a remarkably small number of actual notes played. And then there are the lyrics, laden with child-like images, recollections of love, and weird, evocative passages. Nastasia’s always been an impressive songwriter, but she’s pared the lyrics back as much as she has the music, leaving only the most vital, heartfelt, and touching elements in place. Songs like „Treehouse Song“, „Lee“, and album-centerpiece „Why Don’t You Stay Home“ are the musical equivalent of exposed nerves: so brutally honest and compelling, they’re breath-taking every time through.
Mir ist es ähnlich gegangen: das Album hat mir mit wiederholtem Hören allmählich immer besser gefallen.
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To Hell with Poverty