Album Review: Tides of a Teardrop by Mandolin Orange

When a small acoustic group expands their numbers, it's usually with the intention of delivering a bigger and bolder sound, but Mandolin Orange are an act who continue to create a strikingly intimate record as they've expanded their instrumental range. Mandolin Orange started out as the duo of Andrew Marlin (vocals, guitar, mandolin) and Emily Frantz (vocals, fiddle, guitar), but they grew into a full band for 2016's Blindfaller, and they've continued with 2019's Tides of a Teardrop, where they're joined by Josh Oliver (guitars, keyboards, vocals), Clint Mullican (bass, baritone guitar), and Joe Westerlund (drums). However, the addition of a rhythm section and an occasional electric guitar has only reinforced the character of Mandolin Orange's music; their music evokes the sweet, quiet sorrow of late nights, long rides across the plains, and that moment when the snap of autumn begins to give way to the chill of winter.

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