Tremolo

With The Pines’ third full-length album, the Minneapolis duo further explore their love for blending traditional Americana with the kind of indie-rock approach that led them to share the stage with likeminded artists such as Jolie Holland, the Arcade Fire and Bon Iver. Tremolo picks up where 2007’s critically lauded Sparrows In the Bell left off, but this time around David Huckfelt and Benson Ramsey’s wintry alt-folk musings allow a little springtime warmth to shine on their songs – though you wouldn’t know it from the haunting opener “Pray Tell." It’s in the second tune “Heart & Bones” where the sun breaks through the clouds and glows on an uplifting melody that’s whisper-sung with intimacy. Bo Ramsey’s production resonates a stark beauty throughout, allowing songs such as the arresting “Lonesome Tremolo Blues” to play like one of Townes Van Zandt’s salt-of-the-earth serenades. They also breathe new life into Mississippi John Hurt’s “Spike Driver Blues” with driving tempos and a confident swagger.