by Avery Luke (@averyluke3)
Isobel Campbell emerges solo after a quiet fourteen years. Her latest album, There Is No Other… presents a bit of contemporary seriousness without overshadowing her familiar, dreamy sound. Campbell was most active about a decade ago with a resume that includes early work as a cellist and vocalist with indie-pop group Belle and Sebastian and then a solo project under the name The Gentle Waves. She’s perhaps known best for her past three collaborations with Mark Lanegan, but There Is No Other is different from anything we’ve already heard. On this album emerges Campbell’s new persona: a soft-spoken activist.
There’s everything from a synthy, and relevant, rendition of “Runnin’ Down A Dream” by Tom Petty that successfully leads into the texture laden and downtempo “Vultures,” to tracks that comment on social issues that later answer the very questions they beg. “The Heart of It All,” for example, is a satisfying call to action which references the likes of “Gandhi and Buddha / Martin Luther King” to advocate for unity: “We’re part of it all / The heart of it all.”
Overall, the album sounds breezy, but it’s lyrically dense. “Ant Life” feels especially sweet and candid but holds a darker message with lyrics like “If I lived down a country lane / I wonder if I’d feel the same” and “in the blinking of an eye / We’re here and gone.” It’s easy to pin Campbell’s music as lighthearted, but a dynamic album like There Is No Other radiates urgency.
Campbell’s re-emergence would have been more than welcome even if it offered only her distinct sound and ability to tell a great story. Instead, There Is No Other is a forward-thinking memoir that doesn’t rely on nostalgia alone to be invigorating and important.