“I admit it, I am defeated / I couldn’t get you out, couldn’t beat it”: Jenn Wasner aka Flock of Dimes sings these sentences in “Defeat”, the most touching song on an album that cleverly moves between loss of control and self-empowerment. The words are always surprisingly present, as the music sits readily in the background. Sometimes you fear that she will fall completely silent, as throughout the album she tends to paint atmosphere rather than intervene in the action.
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On THE LIFE YOU SAVE, Wasner sings about dependencies and entanglements that cannot be easily shaken off – be it addiction, co-dependency
or your own demons. She examines less the psychological and physical dimensions of addiction, but rather their inscription in relationships, language and the body. You have to be able to endure it, especially the counterplay with the sounds, which seem very contemporary – and remain quite harmonious despite their breaks and the aforementioned silences.
Folk meets indietronica meets the golden autumn pop of Bruce Hornsby. The fact that Wasner also plays with Bon Iver also points in the right direction. But oh, it’s worth it, because when a violin drips out of the clouds in “Instead Of Calling” or Wasner sings about the eternal search in “I Think I’m God” with an acoustic guitar and a bass that creaks like an old farmhouse cupboard, it’s very touching.
This review first appeared in Musikexpress 11/2025.