Review: Bartees Strange – Farm To Table

In this industry, you only get so many chances to make an impact on the music community and leave your legacy. After being at the tip of every tongue of concert promoters and music publications this past year, is it really any surprise that Bartees Strange would live up to the hype on his sophomore effort, Farm To Table? Coming off of ultra-successful touring stints with the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, Car Seat Headrest, Courtney Barnett, and Lucy Dacus, it became increasingly evident that he was ready for this moment. In fact, Bartees Strange called his own shot by making it his goal to be signed to the legendary indie label 4AD, and he would add that to his list of worthy accomplishments. He gave us a glimpse of his unique sound on his debut called Live Forever, but Farm To Table seems more fully realized, immediate, and artistically brilliant all over the record. Bartees Strange tackles worldly themes like the current political climate, relationships (both personally and professionally), and still leaves enough space to put his unique stamp on this period of time. The clear front-runner for album of the year has arrived, and it’s okay to be strange.