In this hectic day and age where bands seem to churn out albums like clockwork, five years is a long time to wait for Thieves’ Kitchen’s latest chapter.
Leading away from 2008’s The Water Road, One For Sorrow, Two For Joy holds back on the anomalous motifs that made its precursor an unpredictable listen (the dauntless, unfurling opener; the manic synth-psyche of Om Tare). This one shows a more savoury approach to their retro-prog style.
The Änglagård alumni (Thomas Johnson, Anna Holmgren) tend to the symbiotic keyboard and flute sections, and the addition of Sanguine Hum’s Paul Mallyon and Brad Waissman makes for an understated sense of reinvigoration, if at the cost of losing rhythm section stalwarts Bonham and Robotham. As always it’s Amy Darby’s delicately fluid vocals that guides this Swedish/English collaboration through a journey of chilled-out compositions peppered with some showy guitar work from Phil Mercy. The music box chime and bird song of Germander Speedwell sets the tone perfectly.
The Thieves have found their footing in a mature return, best served with a chilled glass of vino, and followed by a lazy afternoon nap.
