Albums to watch

The Land. The Water, The Sky

Black Belt Eagle Scout

The Land. The Water, The Sky

Third album from the Portland, Oregon-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Katherine Paul

ADM rating[?]

7.6

Label
Saddle Creek
UK Release date
10/02/2023
US Release date
10/02/2023
  1. 9.0 |   PopMatters

    With her third album, Black Belt Eagle Scout dazzles us with lush atmospheres, seismic rhythms, and a voice that unfurls from another and perhaps a better world
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  2. 9.0 |   Under The Radar

    She explores deep into the roots of this connection, exposing the ties that bind, her people, and her music to the land itself
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  3. 8.2 |   Paste Magazine

    The Pacific Northwest indie rocker finds her way home to an inspiring sound on third LP for Saddle Creek
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  4. 8.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    Her finest body of work yet
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  5. 8.0 |   Clash

    An album to savour, to go back to again and again to either get a greater understanding of what she is imparting and to find a new melody you missed the last time
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  6. 7.8 |   Beats Per Minute

    At times it feels maybe a little too familiar sonically or compositionally, but all in all, The Land, The Water, The Sky is a potent portrait of a musician who only gets more impressive with each release
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  7. 7.6 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    Sometimes captivating, always soothingly pleasant, The Land, The Water, The Sky is an accessible effort which should appeal to a wide audience
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  8. 7.5 |   Pitchfork

    Katherine Paul’s third album of patient, cinematic indie rock surveys a return trip to her ancestral lands in the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community—and the hard-won peace she found once she arrived
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  9. 7.5 |   Spectrum Culture

    It feels like Black Belt Eagle Scout's biggest record to date while still maintaining the 4-track warmth that Washington indie rock is so famous for
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  10. 7.0 |   Exclaim

    The thematic focus on the therapeutic powers of the natural world, and the protective presence of familial and spiritual energies, make The Land, the Water, the Sky feel just as suited to playing from the peak of a mountain as from the crackling speaker of a bar or bookstore
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  11. 7.0 |   All Music

    While there are moments of quiet reflection and affection here, Paul still embraces dissonant alt-rock textures on parts of the album, including on opener "My Blood Runs Through This Land," a noisy, borderline shoegaze-metal entry with menacing chords and barely intelligible lyrics.
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  12. 7.0 |   Uncut

    The slow-burn of "Blue" is a soaring mid-set ballad with anthemic qualities showcasing a strong sense of dynamics. That captures the defiant mood, something best heard in opener "My Blood Runs Through This Land" and the churning rage of "understanding". Print edition only


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