Building up on the career of an accomplished artist, Ignorance is no doubt one of the first “headline” albums of 2021. Full of lush and classy orchestrations, the album exudes music craftsmanship throughout its canonical ten tracks, evoking smoky, nocturnal, slightly alcoholic, Closing Time soulscapes.
Following 4 years after the last installment in Tamara Lindelof’s career (a shining one by every standard), Ignorance feels like the ascension of the American songwriter to the status of a classic in the contemporary scene. Her vocal performance is as polished as ever, turning from a warm, female baritone to a Kate Bush falsetto with seamless confidence (“Separated”). The arrangements shine throughout the album, providing a depth that’s rarely observed in indie-folk releases, providing art pop and jazzy angles to the record.
There is so much class protruding from this record that sometimes one forgets about the songs, which are somehow left behind in this whole work of art, as if songwriting was secondary to moods and sounds. Throughout the record, there are some volatile sketches of melody, drowned in a luxurious scenery, but to find a single theme that can be recognized and remembered is a hard task. Even when the intent is clearly verging towards pop music, as in “Parking Lot”.
In itself, this is not particularly surprising in Lindelof’s career – after All Of It Was Mine, she has increasingly drifted away from a mostly minimal, songwriting-based music to an arrangement-based music. On the other hand, this is an album that feels less heavy and ponderous than previous efforts, despite some relatively tired tracks (“Heart”, “Atlantic”).
Anyway, overall the success of the record is understandable, even though it’s difficult to picture Ignorance as a long-standing album. It is surely perfect as to immortalize The Weather Station as one the most accomplished acts in the contemporary indie-folk scene.
