Brandi Carlile FIREWATCHER'S (LP)

Seizing the occasion of a label switch to shake up her approach to recording, Brandi Carlile cut The Firewatcher's Daughter quickly, bashing out its 12 songs in a series of single takes with longtime collaborators Tim and Phil Hanseroth. The Twins, as the Hanseroth brothers are known, have been by Carlile's side since her 2005 eponymous debut, so this album doesn't amount to a shift in aesthetic as much as it is a consolidation -- a consolidation that just so happens to leave a few frayed edges dangling. It's a nifty trick, emphasizing mess, especially in the wake of records where all the loose ends were appealingly tied. That's not the case on The Firewatcher's Daughter. Whether the band is engaged in a breakneck sprint, as on the throttling "Mainstream Kid," or harmonizing with delicacy on "The Eye" and "Wilder (We're Chained)," the music twitches with energy and this vibrancy enhances a set of songs casually touching upon every style Carlile's played in the past. As always, she's gr