It’s been quite some time since we’ve heard from Elizabeth Powell and Land of Talk. Last month they released Life After Youth on Saddle Creek, their first LP since 2010’s Cloak and Cipher. And they haven’t played Philadelphia since November of 2010, when they headlined Johnny Brenda’s. However, we’ve clearly missed them, as their return to the city, tonight at Boot & Saddle, has been sold out for weeks. Powell’s extended hiatus from music wasn’t actually planned, but brought on by a series of unfortunate events, most notable a computer crash, erasing everything she had been working on, and her father suffering a stroke, leaving her to be his caretaker. However, it was her parental patient who ultimately urged her to go back to music. Fittingly, Life After Youth is Land of Talk’s most mature, even-tempered album to date. Largely trading in guitars for synths and loops, the album generally comes off as meditatively ethereal and hypnotic, echoing Powell’s recent interest in classical and ambient music. Although it never gets quite as brash as some of the band’s previous releases, it still embodies that delicate quirk they became known for, reminiscent of ‘90s alt rock balladry. If you have a ticket for the show (or a spot on the list), make sure to get there early for Half Waif, Nandi Rose Plunkett’s (of Pinegrove) wonderfully heady synth pop solo project. If you don’t have a ticket… well, like I said, it’s sold out, but Land of Talk did hit up Philthy twice in 2010, so there’s a good chance they’ll be back soon… In the meantime, check out their recent video for “Loving” below.
