We’ve only been waiting since the dawn of human expression,
but the perfect “getting over a heartbreak” album has finally arrived, courtesy
of one Josh Ritter. Written in the
hangover of his divorce, The Beast In Its
Tracks (his first full length album in three years) offers the words of
wisdom and empathy that a crushed soul wants and needs to hear. The melodies
are light and the lyrics are heavy, which more or less epitomizes how one feels
in the wake of an unwanted break up; thoughts heavy, in need of something
uplifting. Well, this is it.
Ritter’s bruises and scabs haven’t quite healed, as this
album riddled with bitterness and signs of lingering pain. However, he still cannot
hide his joy and optimism towards moving on, which writing and recording this
album helped him do. It seems that Ritter’s words, although wide-reaching, are
not intended for the listener, but intended to comfort and convince himself
that he is over it and in a better place having found someone new to love. The
tracks “Hopeful”, “New Lover”, and
“Appleblossom Rag” are excellent examples of this manifestation of
emotions. Each begin with an
obvious focus on the former lover, but it is equally obvious where thoughts of
“stop thinking about her, man!” entered his mind, the lyrics shifting towards a
more positive outlook. He sings, “I’ve
got a new lover now, I hope you’ve got a lover too…” praising the next love
and immediate effects it has on the enduring sting of a broken heart. He
continues, presumably with a wide grin, “but
if you’re sad and you are lonesome, and you’ve got nobody true, I’d be lying if
I said that didn’t make me happy too”, addressing that difficult and sometimes shameful range of thoughts in a
refreshingly blunt manner.
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