Over the course of a decade playing together and making records as Jeanines, the duo of Alicia Jeanine and Jed Smith have charted a distinctive course through the history of pop, docking at ports of call as varied as the 60s folk of early Fairport Convention and Vashti Bunyan, the sunshine/soft pop of Margo Guryan and Laura Nyro, and of course indiepop touchstones like Dear Nora and the post-Black Tambourine projects of Pam Berry. Their new album "How Long Can It Last" finds Jeanines grappling with serious themes of personal and professional upheaval, adding weight to their finest set of songs yet. With lyrics that look deeply at time and its reverberations, connections and ruptures, songs like "Coaxed A Storm," "What's Done Is Done" and "On and On" combine richly melodic tunes and crisp arrangements (featuring long-time live show bassist Maggie Gaster) to stellar effect. Alicia's lyrics deserve extra attention here, always subverting cliche and seeking out fresh ways to illustrate these openly personal tales of self-examination and self-criticism. Where "How Long Can It Last" really shines is, as always, the songs. While the themes might be the heavy, the melodies and harmonies are simply heavenly, elevating these economical songs and giving each song the feeling of a lost classic. From the first notes of opener "To Fail" to jaunty closer "Wrong Direction" we're immediately aware that this is an album by a band in full command of their art (and craft).
