On their latest outing, The Long Surrender, the husband-wife team brings to bear over 20 years of musical living to an accomplished piece of poetic and emotional songcraft. Over the Rhine inhabits a number of genres simultaneously including blues, soul and folk, but classification is a minor concern when crafting intimate portraits of life and love. The Ohio-based duo wraps itself in and often rips apart the somewhat anomalous concept of Americana.
At times, Over the Rhine shares a similar sensibility with some of the more off-kilter American poets infusing their music with a lyrical and roughhewn beauty. Songs which at first glance appear to be soft and subtle turn out to be momentous and even devastating, unearthing long forgotten or perhaps unknown wounds. Bergquist's ranging vocals shimmer with boundless mysteries. There are highs with the lows and effortlessly intertwining such caustic elements is part of what imparts the music of Over the Rhine with such an enjoyable everyday resonance.
Gallery photos by Kate McDaniel.
