Shovels & Rope get ambitious on By Blood, a record miles from the duo's Americana beginnings

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      The greatness of Shovels & Rope’s ambitious By Blood is in the way that it’s challenged not only the band’s long-time fans, but also the couple responsible for bringing the songs to life.

      Back when the husband-and-wife team of Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent found themselves filed under “minimalist Americana”, the task of re-creating their records on-stage was relatively easy. But one listen to By Blood shows that the duo have a challenge on their hands, something that Hearst knew would be the case during the recording process.

      “Michael essentially produces our records in the backyard,” the singer and multi-instrumentalist says, reached in New York City on a conference call with Trent. “I’d come into our studio there on a Monday and hear something interesting, and then pop in on a Friday and really start to hear what he was conceptualizing. Constantly checking in with fresh ears really helped me appreciate the growth on this record. I felt thrilled every time I heard the songs. And that made me really excited to perform the material. I feel like it’s the best record we’ve ever done.”

      That contention is borne out by the amount of ground Shovels & Rope covers on the album’s 10 songs. Hearst and Trent haven’t completely forgotten their roots, with the swamp-blues thumper “Mississippi Nuthin’ ” perfect for backwoods barbecues in the Deep South, and the country sleeper “C’Mon Utah!” made for midnight drives down rural gravel roads.

      But what’s really noticeable is that Shovels & Rope continues to light out for bold new territory—a trend that started with 2016’s equally excellent Little Seeds. “I’m Comin’ Out” works a frazzled analogue-electro vibe that post-Stripes Jack White would approve of, “The Wire” plants a tattered flag in Brooklyn’s rawk revival of 2001, and “Twisted Sisters” bridges two dusty worlds with authentic Tex-Mex horns.

      As gratifying as the artistic growth is , both Trent and Hearst acknowledge that it’s indeed presented something of a challenge.

      “A song sounds one way when you first start writing it, then it goes through a number of evolutions when you’re working on it,” Trent says. “After that, it’s got to somehow live on the stage. On this record I played bass on every song, and there are extra layers all over the place. The key is to focus on the things that are the most important and impactful on-stage. But even though each one of us is usually playing two instruments at the same time, sometimes you gotta strip things back a bit.”

      And sometimes you have to accept that re-creating studio magic is impossible.

      “We’re really busy on-stage, and our limbs are busy,” Trent says. “Like, I’ll be playing guitar and then bass with something I’m stepping on, or Cary will be playing the keyboards and the drums. We’re not killing it on either instrument, but at least we’re getting the point across. If that sounds less than what you hear on record, that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with stripping things right back to voice and guitar.”

      Hearst laughs, and then adds: “And not having to do everything is actually a blessing. We’re getting to the point where our bodies are starting to break down. Sometimes it’s good to know that you can decide to step back on a song and take a knee.”

      Shovels & Rope plays the Commodore Ballroom next Friday (October 25).

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