The Vagaband - Beautiful World (2023) [Hi-Res]

The Vagaband return with Beautiful World to shine some light in these troubled times, four-plus years after the release of the dark "full bodied and city sullied dramas" (Americana UK) of 'Something Wicked This Way Comes'. The East Anglian sextet are at the forefront of the region's vibrant roots music scene, picking up praise for their incendiary live shows and soulful songwriting. Just like the voices of lead singers Jose McGill (think oak-aged whiskey) and Yve Mary B (mountain spring water), Beautiful World is an album of contrasts. From the back-porch duet of opener 'I'm Not For You' through to wide-screen epic closer 'Into the Blue', the band move from small moments of domestic drama to cosmic country and everything in between. Classic 70s rock from both sides of the Atlantic rubs up against far older, and also more contemporary, sounds to create something at once familiar and yet of their own making. A collection of stories, Beautiful World tells of depression, break-ups, and even murder on their southern-gothic take on folk standard 'The Unquiet Grave', and yet the sheer rush of joy on cuts. 'Avalon', 'Desdemona' (both channelling Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac) and the Southern rock-meets-White Album of lead single 'Into the Blue' remind us that yes, perhaps it is a Beautiful World after all.