Shovels & Rope - Something Is Working Up Above My Head [Clear]

Shovels & Rope have always sounded like a two-person band that refuses to act like one, and Something Is Working Up Above My Head, their 2024 album, arrives here on clear vinyl.

Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent, the married duo from Charleston, South Carolina, built their reputation on swapping instruments mid-set, bashing out drums and guitars between them and singing in tight, rough-edged harmony. More than a decade into their run together, this record keeps that homemade spirit while widening the frame, finding room for spiritual questions, small-town stories and plenty of humour.

Opener "Something Is Working" begins with a sense of something stirring, as if the pair are listening for signals from somewhere above. "Two Wolves" carries a title that nods to the old parable about the battle inside all of us, "Piranhanana" is as gleefully odd as its name, and "Love Song From a Dog" brings a wink of pure affection.

Their voices remain the main event, braided together until it's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins, with stomping rhythms and scrappy guitars underneath.

Rough around the edges in all the right ways, it's a warm, spirited listen from one of Americana's most reliably fun partnerships.