Song You Need: Life drifts by on Allegra Krieger’s “Nothing In This World Ever Stays Still”
The song will appear on Krieger’s new album, I Keep My Feet on the Fragile Plane.
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The idea that life moves too fast to ever take hold of is normally painted as something scary but the way Allegra Krieger portrays it, it feels kind of idyllic. On “Nothing In This World Ever Stays Still” she rifles through a series of images, missives from time spent observing riled-up sports fans in bars to long walks along the coast. There's a strong Joni Mitchell influence on her cadence, which teeters on plain-spoken but throws in the odd melodic flourish along the way, while pedal steel guitar gently trills in the background. Krieger's words are the focus though, standing out mainly as they don't try to capture a moment in time, more seeking reflect the kinetic nature of time itself. "When you feel like heaven you're closer to death," she sings at one point as the song veers away from observational and toward something more profound.
In a statement shared with The FADER, Krieger said: "I wrote this song in a tumultuous time in my life out in LA for a brief stint. Everything felt connected and in constant motion, work came and work went, wildfires were raging, a relationship was failing. I was experiencing wildly meaningful phone calls with potential Craigslist employers. The house I was staying in had a balcony which looked out over the expansive suburban valley. Beautiful sunsets. I was embracing the movement and the chaos, and the way everything fit together. Everything felt wrong, but the wrongness felt correct."
“Nothing In This World Ever Stays Still” will feature on Krieger's new album I Keep My Feet on the Fragile Plane, released via Double Double Whammy on July 21. Check out her upcoming tour dates, including shows with Angel Olsen and Greg Mendez, below.
Allegra Krieger tour dates
May 28 - Burlington, VT - monkey bar +
May 30 - Montreal, QC - mai/son +
May 31 - Greenfield, MA - 10 Forward +
June 4 - NYC, NY - Baby’s All Right +
June 11 - Purgatory $
October 25 - Portland, OR - Revoluton Hall *
October 26 - Seattle, WA - Neptune Theatre *
* = w/ Angel Olsen
$ = w/ Greg Mendez
+ = w/ Frances Chang