Meet Me At The Edge Of The World

With their twelfth album, the veteran alt-country duo of Brian Kelley and Karen Bergquist (who sings most of the time) have sprawled out and created a lovely, slow-burning ode to the Southern Ohio landscape they recorded in. These songs unfold lushly, usher in an early evening, and wrap you up in a warm and soothing Americana blanket for the night. I’m partial to the slower, darker, more textured songs here. Favorites: 1-3, 1-4, 1-6, 1-7, 1-8, 1-9, 2-3. No FCCs.

Disc 1
1. (3:48)—Medium-slow, grand. Accordion, harmonizing vocals.
2. (3:38)—Serene mid-tempo drift. Reverbed keyboard.
3. *(3:06)—Mid-tempo. Minor key, the sound of mist rolling in.
4. *(4:22)—Slow, nocturnal, elegant love song.
5. (2:43)—Mid-tempo. More bluesy and ragged.
6. *(4:20)— Dark mid-tempo lullaby. Begins minimally, becomes a soft stroll.
7. *(4:20)—Slow, ghostly country. Hypnotic steel guitar.
8. *(3:43)—Slow, peaceful, enveloping sunset music.
9. *(4:35)—Slow. Droney beginning. Majestic chord progressions. Never goes full-on epic, thankfully. Shoegaze country?
Disc 2
1. (5:55)—Medium-slow, romantic. Kelley and Bergquist duet. Slightly rocking ending.
2. (3:40)—Slow, particularly twangy. Johnny and June reference.
3. *(3:31)—Soft, melancholy mid-tempo trot that complements the lyrics about trains perfectly.
4. (4:37)—Slow. Cover of The Band. Sad rainy day breakup music.
5. (2:52)—Slow, sweet, stays in the wistful vein of the previous tracks.
6. (1:09)—Instrumental. Slow, slightly electric lumber.
7. (3:55)—Medium-slow, sexy, bluesy swing.
8. (2:41)—Slow, cool, calm. “Bury my ashes with the dogs I’ve loved.”
9. (1:00)—Instrumental. Piano, strings, steel guitar.
10. (5:50)—Slow, tender, match-waving closer.