“Love at First Listen” would be an adequate way to describe my feelings for this album. It’s always been incredible how much sound Nickel Creek is able to output with such a small ensemble. Sara Watkins, her brother Sean Watkins, and Chris Thile are veteran, expert performers, who were joined this time by Mike Elizondo on bass, who is more well-known for his work on classic rap albums. All of the songwriting credits on the album are shared by the four of them, although (similar to The Beatles), you can tell that certain members took lead on certain songs. The album was produced by veteran producer Eric Valentine, who did a great job of capturing their ideas sonically.
Celebrants begins with the title track, “Celebrants,” which has a complex structure. The rhythmic interplay between the stomped/clapped beat (the way Valentine produced this sound goes great with the cathedral imagery of the lyrics: a big sound brought by the people) is very compelling, and Chris Thile’s mandolin passages are thrilling harmonically and top-notch, as always.
Probably my favorite track is “The Meadow,” which still blows my mind dozens of listens later. It showcases all three of the principals fairly equally and there is fantastic interplay between them. I used to daydream about Sara Watkins playing these kinds of violin melodies. The vocal performances are show-stopping. The control they have over their vocal slides are incredible. Three and a half minutes of pure bliss.
“Holding Pattern” makes me wish I could have been a fly on the wall when it was written. I always love a good rhythmically-interlocking ostinato and I wish I could have seen how they put this together. I also love the production choices on this one, which are more akin to a 21st century pop album (which is how I think all albums should be produced regardless of genre or style: why would you choose to not take advantage of all the great technology available to you?).
The urgency in Sara’s voice on “Where the Long Line Leads” recalls the early-00’s recordings by The White Stripes in all the best ways. It’s a barn-burner for sure. “Stone’s Throw” features Sean Watkins at his very best.
The predominantly insrtrumental works “Going Out…” and “…Despite the Weather” are an aural delight for the ears. Other standout tracks include “Strangers,” “Hollywood Ending,” and “Failure Isn’t Forever,” which is a great message for everyone whether you’re thirteen or fifty-three.
Celebrants by Nickel Creek is definitely and inarguably one of the best and most interesting albums of the 2020’s so far. It’s a natural growth of the sound that they have been developing over the last twenty plus years. I also love how it sounds like a Nickel Creek album, and not like a combination of their other great projects like The Watkins Family Hour or The Punch Brothers. I am very much looking forward to hearing what they do next.
— Dr. Chris Opperman, November 19th, 2023
