[rating=5.00]
I am assured that peace will come to me,” Josh Ritter sings on “Lark,” a song that channels his inner Paul Simon on his newest album, So Runs the World Away. Before Ritter penned these tunes, the songwriter from Idaho suffered a case of writer’s block, but you can’t tell that he was struggling on his fifth full-length; because on these 13 tracks, Ritter sounds better than ever.
There is something haunting about this album. Ritter has always been a masterful storyteller, but he takes it up a notch here; we are drawn into a world of cursed mummies and dark corners where lanterns lead the way – a world where Ritter isn’t afraid of the dark. During the pulsing and slightly insane “The Remnant,” we are taken into this world in its finest form, where “nothing that is hidden will be revealed.” It’s four minutes of organized chaos, and Ritter, like a possessed surgeon, carefully and cleanly gives you deep chills with his words and voice.
But aside from the welcomed lunacy of So Runs the World Away, it’s also quite positive. “Lantern” might be the most joyous and honest song we’ve heard from Ritter, and its message is simple: to survive, we must reject selfishness and light each other’s way. Hold the light high for Josh Ritter, and he’ll most certainly do the same for you.
