Contemplating mortality is a favorite trope of the singer-songwriter. Per the title of City And Colour’s fifth full-length, though, what about contemplating mortality in the context of a committed relationship? In the hands (and voice) of Dallas Green, this becomes an existential, breathtaking crisis with new legs. It’s indicated at the outset with nine-minute-long opener “Woman,” easily the longest and perhaps most interesting song Green’s penned since launching this solo project in 2004. Green dabbles in psychedelic and progressive rock shades to carry him through the track, a compelling journey that’s starkly breathy and subtly bluesy, ruminating on the immortality of a couple’s love.
