Fighting Season in Bloomington, MN

On the cover of
Fighting Season
,
Thalia Zedek
is holding an electric guitar that features a large sticker reading "FCK NZS." In 2018, no one should be surprised by the notion of an established underground artist making a strong political statement, and
Zedek
, of Jewish heritage and an out lesbian of long standing, seems fittingly troubled by the political and cultural divides of the
Trump
era. In the press materials for
says the album was primarily written in the months before the 2016 presidential election. Many of its songs speak of a growing dread in a world where lines have been drawn in the sand, rather than the specifics of what has happened in the wake of
taking office. As a consequence,
is an album that feels less like an act of protest (though it certainly is one) than a statement of resistance, fixed in the present but with an awareness that the roots of our current malaise stem from problems that are in no way new. In "Of the Unknown,"
sings, "If we separated/Which half of us would have to go?/The half that couldn't bother/The half that always held out hope/That we'd never be forgotten," and it's hardly the only moment where she acknowledges that we don't live in a time of easy answers, often using combat as a metaphor.
's vocals, subtly passionate and sometimes suggesting a more plainspoken
Patti Smith
, are some of the best of her career, full of force but making room for vulnerability. Like much of her work under the
Thalia Zedek Band
banner,
is less ferocious than the music she made with
Uzi
and
Come
, but it's similarly intense, as
David Michael Curry
's viola and
Mel Lederman
's piano add rich textures that complement
's guitar work, and
Winston Braman
's bass and
Jonathan Ulman
's drums are suitably dynamic, sometimes stealthy and sometimes explosive. And though
is an estimable guitarist, the contributions from
J Mascis
(of
Dinosaur Jr.
) and
Chris Brokaw
(
's former bandmate in
) add strength to strength. Created in a time of turmoil,
is an album that always reflects the era that informed it, and while
never pretends to have all the answers, her musings are brave, literate, and full of heart, and this is an important statement from an important artist. ~ Mark Deming