Minnesota-based band Communist Daughter takes its name from a Neutral Milk Hotel song, but on its newest release, The Cracks That Built The Wall, the band created a name for itself beyond NMH and beyond the Saint Paul, Minnesota music scene it calls home.
On previous releases like Soundtrack to the End, the indie-folk band has stayed on the acoustic introspective side with songs that explore memories of childhood and returning to places once known.
Lead singer Johnny Solomon formed the band after returning home from prison and up until now Communist Daughter’s albums have reflected the start of a healing process and the challenges included with mental health issues.
On “Speed of Sound,” a song from Soundtrack to the End, Solomon sings, “I still live for sound/But, lately all the people seem to talk too loud/And my feet are on the ground/But, all the words I say are coming out like crowds.” But the crowds that Solomon sings about in Soundtrack To the End are different in The Cracks That Built The Wall; this time they are outside of Solomon’s own experiences. There are no longer crowds in his mind, but all around him.
Though the album’s sound is still the quiet, whispered folk of Soundtrack to the End, The Cracks That Built The Wall begins to exist outside of Solomon’s pain and takes a look at other people’s pain. His introspection becomes outside observations about the world.
The basic Communist Daughter structure is there: the indie folk and lyrics that read like journal entries or even simple poems are apparent, but this time are more universal than before. This is especially evident in tracks like “Strange” and “All Lit Up” which feature Molly Moore, a member of the band and Solomon’s wife, singing whole verses alone. On past albums, Moore and Solomon often sing together, but in “All Lit Up,” Solomon steps back and lets Moore do the talking, except for a couple harmonies where he floats along behind her.
Moore’s milky voice is front and center on this album. In “All Lit Up” she sings, “Anyone can make your body break/climb the stairs past your front door/maybe you can live with what it takes/to pick yourself up off the floor.”
Solomon’s step back in songwriting shows important progress. What started out as a healing process for him and the band has transformed into that for their listeners.
While past Communist Daughter albums have plenty of Minnesota references with lyrics about uptown Minneapolis and songs like the aptly named “Minnesota Girls,” The Cracks That Built The Wall stays away from images of snow and Minnesotan living. Sometimes home isn’t always a universal concept and the band begins to play with that in this album where no Minnesota references can be found.
With The Cracks That Built The Wall, Communist Daughter have become so much more than the scene they originate from, but an indie folk band that could easily be from Portland or Seattle. It is no longer a band of catharsis, but a band of wisdom from those who have lived. The Cracks That Built The Wall is a step towards stability and calm. For Communist Daughter, this album is where the work actually starts.
Listen to their song “Roll a Stone” below: