Andrew Thurlow Wood is known for his work with Bridges + Powerlines. That project is sidelined for now, and so Wood decided to do something on his own. Like an electro-pop opera set during a nuclear apocalypse.

Thurlowood Discontinue Normal Program (self-released)

So no ambition or anything, right? I'm cool with that. This album is so bright and open that the subject matter seems almost like a foreign entity. And that approach works so much better than mind-throttling gloom and doom. Wood's lovely and engaging musical settings allow the listener to hear what is being said without feeling assaulted.

It is a bit jarring to hear lyrics like "shelter in place" in the age of Covid-19, but again, I think the timing of this album and its effervescent loveliness are just about pitch perfect. Wood has a knack with a hook and a way of making even the greatest terror feel survivable. Which is something we need in much great supply these days.

Not unlike the way that the blues always makes me feel better, the grim subject of this album is truly uplifting. I mean, we're not all gonna die. Okay, we are, but probably not in the next couple of months. In the meantime, let's live. Thurlowood has the perfect sound for now.

Jon Worley