The Tidal Water’s music has always been densely woven and ornate, but that is not the same as saying it is heavy—certainly not heavy just for the sake of it, as much rock music is. Instead, it is complicated rather than bombastic, texturally taught rather than just loud, relying on poise rather than pace, and cocooning the listener rather than trying to bowl them over.
If some of their music does head into rock’s more progressive realms, the latest single, “High Rise Towers and Golden Showers,” has other pastures to explore. This time out, it includes soulful undercurrents, often only becoming apparent when the more rock-derived energies ebb away but constantly influencing the music through a more relaxed groove. The bluesy bar-room piano runs dance with more synth-driven washes; blistering guitars are worked into the middle ground so that they are more textural than focal points, and the bass and unfussy beat underpin everything, which, after all, is their job, a job they excel at here.
The great thing about The Tidal Water’s music is its ability to take many intricate sonic threads garnered from all over the musical landscape and bind them together so that there is still enough space for them all to be heard and enough common ground for them to dance harmonically and sympathetically through the song.
As always, The Tidal Water speaks truth to power, the lyrics exploring the ever-widening rich-poor divide, reminding us that it is those very same people who manipulated the system to get rich, now run the system, ensuring that the division of wealth flows ever upwards, ever in their favor. It also alludes to the very real issue of those at the bottom of the pile who, through allegiance, persuasion, or poor education, help become gatekeepers for a system they will never benefit from.
The Tidal Water has always had a lot to say about the world we live in; sadly, but perhaps importantly, their music and message become more poignant and relevant with every passing day.
