Recording under the name
the Reds, Pinks & Purples,
Glenn Donaldson has perfected the fine art of writing sad songs about love where the pain is tempered by exquisite melodies and delivered in measured, thoughtful tones. He doesn't wallow in heartbreak and loneliness, he turns it into songs one is likely to find themselves humming at odd hours.
Uncommon Weather is focused and melodic, sounding like a greatest-hits collection as song after song digs deep below the surface of heartache to uncover yet another painful memory or feeling.
Donaldson appears just about ready to give up on the concept of love, and possibly everything else, too -- at least songs like "I Hope I Never Fall in Love" and "A Kick in the Face (That's Life)" lean heavily in that direction. He hasn't forsaken melodies or hooks though, and one would be hard pressed to find a catchier indie pop album, either from 2021 or anytime from the mid-'80s on. The uptempo songs like "The Biggest Fan" or "I'm Sorry About Your Life" have a pleasing bounce that helps soothe the cutting nature of the lyrics, the pristine jangle and hum of the ballads are almost painfully pretty, and the best songs -- "The Record Player and the Damage Done" or "The Songs You Used to Write" -- live somewhere in between those polarities.
Uncommon Weather is as painfully honest as
the Field Mice, as lush as
the Orchids, as shattered as
East River Pipe and as sweet as Brighter. Basically,
the Reds, Pinks & Purples typify the best qualities of indie pop -- tenderness, compassion, melancholy, and simplicity -- while adding
Donaldson's hard-bitten views on love to the mix. Add in his steady-handed arrangements, wonderful reverb-distressed guitar runs, and the minimalist machine-driven rhythms, and the result is a record that makes it clear the band is a very strong link in the indie pop chain, pushing the sound (un)happily forward while staying true to its past. ~ Tim Sendra