by David Wilikofsky
Rosali is the solo project of Philadephia based musician Rosali Middleman (who also plays in the band Long Hots). Although I had a passing familiarity her back catalog, little prepared me for her third album, No Medium. A song cycle that’s equal parts introspective and heavy, at times it feels like a personal exorcism as much as an album. Despite tackling subjects like addition, death and loss, Middleman has put together one of the most affecting and life affirming sets of music I’ve heard this year.
No Medium features the fullest sound on a Rosali record to date. She’s backed by members of the David Nance Group, who provide a melange of classic rock, folk and country. While the instrumentals would sound great on their own, there’s something alchemical about how her words mix with them, each song melding into something far greater than its component parts. The distorted, gnarled guitar line that cuts through the center of “Pour Over Ice” feels almost corrosive, mirroring the addition its lyrics explore. The gentle sway of “Waited All Day” echoes the song’s melancholic longing. The squalls of guitar throughout “Bones” conjure up the vastness of a windswept plain, making its chorus (“so I’ll gather my bones / and go back home / and be alone“) hit even harder.
Despite the album’s thematic heaviness it never feels weighted down by its subjects. No matter how dark things get, Rosali never seems content to wallow in self pity. Though this philosophy is hinted at throughout the album, it’s most explicitly stated during “Your Shadow”: “I was taken with sorrow / all the nights I was awake / If you stare into darkness / Soon you’ll be seeing the light start to break.” A sense of inner strength cuts though each song; no matter how hard things get, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. After the past year we’ve had, No Medium feels like a vital reminder of that fact.