Reuniting with founding member
John Lombardo,
10,000 Maniacs return to their roots in other ways on 2015's
Twice Told Tales. This is their first collection devoted entirely to covers of traditional folk songs, all from the British Isles. Some of these 14 songs are instrumental or scaled back so they're stark, but much of the album is delivered in the chipper style that recalls the jangle of
In My Tribe.
Twice Told Tales -- a clever title for a covers album, that -- isn't as bright or poppy as that college rock classic, but there's a warmth and comfort here that show the benefits of a band growing older together. Accordingly, this is a record for longtime fans: it not only evokes warm memories, but it speaks to the band's present.