From the archives: Currents, March 2008

Punch Brothers, Punch

I was devastated when Nickel Creek announced their plans to break up—until last May, when mandolin player Chris Thile performed at WorkPlay with his new band, Punch Brothers. The combined talent of those five men left me almost longing for the dissolution of my favorite band. I spent the months afterward waiting for the group’s debut CD.

Punch (Nonesuch) is a series of classical compositions with bluegrass instrumentation. Though long-term Thile fans may be tempted to view Punch Brothers as Chris Thile and a backing band, each band member contributed to and invested in the work. Still, when lyrics break into the album’s lengthy instrumentals, it’s Thile’s voice we hear. Through those vocalizations, he reveals his struggle through divorce, its effect on his faith and the support received from friends. The 40-minute, four movement composition “The Blind Leaving the Blind” is emotionally consuming but thought-provoking—a psychic tension I’ve voluntarily returned to again and again. –Carla Jean Whitley