Like the title suggests, White Flag, the latest album from neo-folk singer-songwriter Madeline, exudes an air of quiet resignation. On "Telephone Daydream," for example, the Athens, GA artist sings of death, feeling alone and inadequate. But the hopeless album title may be a bit deceptive.
Madeline's sweetly confident and spirited voice is more like medication for the dejected than cause to sink further into despair. With lyrics that highlight both Southern charm and disenchantment, Madeline's insightful metaphors are often reminiscent of Sam Beam's (Iron and Wine) deeply poetic depictions of the south.
Though the opening songs on White Flag seem to set a somber and disheartening mood for the album, a glimmer of hope soon comes through in the lyrics, like "This train is moving forward and I'm going to take a ride," which looks toward a brighter future instead of dwelling on the failures of the past. After a lengthy three year recording process, it's no wonder that moving on is so appealing.
Download this song in the Second Stage podcast.
Yesterday's Second Stage artist.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
