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Feb 05, 2021 Web Exclusive By Ben Jardine

Toronto’s Tamara Lindeman, the singer/songwriter behind The Weather Station, offers an optimistic take on uncertainty in the group’s latest record, Ignorance. The record explores themes of dark vs. light, of right vs. wrong, of our collective unknown future, of the fragility of our planet’s climate—all bundled into a contemplative collection of 10 songs. The word “Ignorance” in this sense, it should be pointed out, is not to be taken for its negative face value. Instead, Lindeman weaves hope, deep thought, and care into considering our ignorance—not as a detriment, but as an opportunity to improve our future.

The album’s opening track and first single, “Robber,” combines insidious overtones of the titular “robber” with this complex notion of radical acceptance. “I never believed in the robber/I figured everything he took was gone,” sings Lindeman over a straight rhythm and saxophone accompaniment. At once, it’s apparent that Ignorance is a more brooding and expansive affair, compared to 2017’s self-titled excursion.

This expansiveness was an intentional decision for Lindeman. Ignorance is the first Weather Station album she wrote on keys instead of guitar. And choosing a straight, dance-based rhythm allowed Lindeman more room to mine the songs’ emotionality: “the less emotion there was in the rhythm, the more room there was for emotion in the rest of the music, the more freedom I had vocally,” she explains.

From the unfolding tracks on Ignorance, it’s clear that Lindeman took this impulse to heart. “Atlantic,” a rapturous exploration of mortality and nature, sees Lindeman telling herself “I should get all this dying off of my mind/I should really know better than to read the headlines.” Even songs that have more pop-driven sensibilities, such as “Parking Lot” and “Separated,” bear a depth that, on first listen, can get lost beneath the waves.

Ignorance’s latter half sheds the driving rhythms of the album’s A-side, and instead picks up a more somber tone. The tracks “Wear” and “Trust” are equally provocative, compared to the album’s early tracks, but lack the captivating instrumentation required to command the listener.

As a whole, Ignorance can carry an audience through beautiful arrangements and atmosphere. However, and perhaps as a result of the beauty of the music and her delivery, Lindeman’s goal of delivering emotional lyrics hits shy of the mark. Instead, we’re left hanging on to every note. (www.theweatherstation.net)

Author rating: 7/10