The third outing from
the Punch Brothers picks up right where 2010's
Antifogmatic left off, offering up another quality set of offbeat sophisti-grass that blends the whirlwind musicianship of
Béla Fleck & the Flecktones, the spirited delivery of
the Louvin Brothers, and the cinematic urban melancholy of
Jeff Buckley into a sometimes impenetrable but always fascinating (check out the detailed cover of the instrumental title cut from
Radiohead's
Kid A) new take on new acoustic. On the delightfully weird
Who's Feeling Young Now?, the truest moments are provided by virtuoso mandolinist/vocalist
Chris Thile's expressive, measured voice and deeply personal lyrics. In anyone else's hands, densely layered, ultra-mercurial songs like "Movement and Location," "No Concern of Yours," "Clara," and "Don’t Get Married Without Me" would fly right out the window and disappear into the night sky, but for every acrobatic run, music-nerd time signature, or dissonant key change, there's a moment of unbridled, emotional connection to remind us that there is a very thin line between showboating and heartache. ~ James Christopher Monger