The Choir
Free Flying Soul
Reviewed by Chris Well
Like a welcome letter from an old friend, The Choir returns in strong form with Free Flying Soul, a record that at once remembers the enduring charm of records like Circle Slide and Wide-Eyed Wonder, but also remembers the lessons of the angrier Speckled Bird, where the band struggled to reinvent themselves. Amidst the sonic dreamscape they've carved out--ambient waves of energy passing over fields of guitar harmonics--the real drawing card has always been Steve Hindalong's passionate, personal lyrics about faith, family and friends. In many ways, the questions and doubts plaguing the brilliant Circle Slide find their happy ending in Free Flying Soul--the tender longing of "If I Had a Yard" finds peace in the sweet "Yellow-Haired Monkeys"; the world-weary bitterness of the hymn "Restore My Soul" gives way to the healthier hymn "The Ocean," where the church is likened to an ocean, purified by the tears of God. However, this record is still tinged with honest regrets and apologies, such as the brilliantly unsettling "If You're Listening" or the tentative lullaby "The Chicken." The Choir has created a balanced work of art, showing that a Christian's life has both sunshine and rain. It also seems they're no longer trying to find themselves; they seem content with who they are and where they are going. It is this confidence and mastery of their art that makes Free Flying Soul exactly the sort of record that lasts--we will be listening to this for decades.