"Temper The Wind To The Shorn Lamb” is not your everyday record. It demonstrates sense of tradition and workmanship, but sounds remarkably urgent at the same time. The album consists of 11 songs, which are memorable and genuinely moving. The sound of this beautiful mess is unmistakably cutting edge, yet vulnerable and unafraid of experiment. In comparison to its predecessor, the band’s debut “Falling On Deaf Ears”, the palette of sounds and emotions is more diverse. Playing with different groups and co-operations broadened the horizon of This Beautiful Mess. They have grown as songwriters, singers and musicians. Axel’s ringing, tremulous electric guitar and acoustic guitar weave their soulful melodies around Arjen’s hauntingly, inspired voice. The songs are underlined by Abne’s fluent bass and further lit by Lydia’s beautiful voice and melodic piano.
The album reveals Axel’s producing skills and This Beautiful Mess’s progression toward organic recordings where each note played and sung seems essential. The album title is significant for the themes of Arjen’s lyrics. They deal with losing sense of direction on a search for what really matters. The lyrics are taken from life, inside them sadness and longing coexist with hope and joy.
