While bands organized around siblings have a tradition of volatility -- think of the Kinks, the Blasters, Creedence Clearwater Revival, or Oasis -- the Cowboy Junkies are an exception. Three of the four members -- vocalist Margo Timmins, guitarist Michael Timmins, and drummer Peter Timmins -- are siblings, and the fourth member, bassist Alan Anton, has known them since childhood (he and Michael were in the same class in kindergarten). The Junkies have had the same lineup since they first formed in 1985, boasting a stability few groups of their generation can match. However, even happy families have issues to deal with, and while 2020s Ghosts was written and recorded after the death of the Timmins mother, 2023s Such Ferocious Beauty came not long after they lost their father, who was living with dementia in his final years. Grief was the subtext of Ghosts, and on Such Ferocious Beauty, it takes center stage; these ten songs are open in their contemplation of death and its aftermath, the gnawing sense of loss, the anger and confusion brought on after losing a loved one, and the not-always-comforting contemplation of the afterlife. The groups traditionally languid sound is punctuated with occasional peals of feedback and noise from Michaels guitar, as well as the more traditionally melancholy report of the violin, and theres an edge in the sweet, smoky tone of Margos voice that matches the more difficult mood of the lyrics. "Every man has a plan, until hes punched in the mouth," Margo sings on "Mike Tyson (Here It Comes)," and sometimes quietly, sometimes with aural chaos, this album captures the feel of being hit with the left hook of cruel fate. ("What man regards as evil, God could care less about" from "Throw a Match" sums up their less-than-rosy take on religion in a time of crisis.) Fans who have developed a taste for the sweet sadness of the Cowboy Junkies best work may find Such Ferocious Beauty a bit strong and confrontational for their taste, but thats very much the point of this music; this isnt rooted in solace, but in exorcising the demons that come from losing loved ones, and its a difficult but eloquent act of public mourning. ~ Mark Deming

Rovi