Minnesotan veteran folk-bluegrass band Trampled by Turtles recently released its 10th studio album, “Alpenglow,” and has proven once again why the band has stuck around for so long. “Alpenglow” explores themes of moving on, being forced to look forward and bittersweet reminiscence.

Trampled by Turtles reached out to Jeff Tweedy from the band Wilco to help produce this album. His influence can be found throughout the album through musical progressions and lyrical flow. Tweedy had an abundance of talent in front of him and Trampled by Turtles needed someone to help find new, creative ways to use its skill sets.

“Alpenglow” is the slowest album the band has put out yet. Previous albums typically had at least one high-tempo track. The band grew popularity from its ability to play songs at punk-level tempo, but one cannot be found on this album.

The album opens with the band’s first lead single, “It’s so Hard to Hold On”; a song about reflecting on cherished memories but having to let them go. With a classic Trampled by Turtles build up toward the end of the song, the string band brings out a feeling of acceptance or maybe even defeat. The song sets the tone for the rest of the album.

The lead singer, frontman and guitarist, Dave Simonett, writes in a way that will certainly strike the listener at the heart. Although not a powerful voice, he carries the emotion of each song through his tone and words.

“Central Hillside Blues,” a song about losing a lover, leaves room for the listener to cry along with Simonett. The fiddle and cello help achieve an incredible sadness, too, by bringing an astounding performance.

Another song that will steal the attention of the listener is “A Lifetime to Find,” which opens with “Oh death, oh death, I was just getting dressed.” Simonett sings about finally accepting reality, being ready for his new journey and that it takes a lifetime to find the life you want.

The writing, accompanying melody and overall musical performance of “A Lifetime to Find” help the song earn its spot as my favorite song on the album.

Besides Simonett, the band’s fiddle player, Ryan Young, really shows off his talent on this album. Young gained recognition for his ability to keep up on the band’s fast-paced tracks. But, with the lack of intensely fast-tempo songs on this album, his solos take on a new life.

His solos focus more on hitting the right notes at the right time. Resembling the abilities of Cool Jazz trumpeters like Chet Baker and Miles Davis, he captivates the listener with his melancholy sound and creative melodies. Listen to the opening track and especially “Starting Over” for Young’s best solos.

Along with Young’s fiddle, the listener can often find Eamonn McLain’s cello accompanying him. McLain has rarely shined through on previous albums, and his performances this time around certainly deserve recognition.

“Nothing but Blue Skies” has a beautiful solo by McLain, but for most of the album McLain and Young can be found in tandem. Listen to songs such as “Quitting is Rough” and the banjo carried melody on “All the Good Times Are Gone” as it has some of their best moments. On “Quitting is Rough,” Young and McLain entice the listener with a weird feeling of unfulfilled desperation while leaving room for Simonett’s cries.

“Burlesque Desert Window” and “The Party’s Over” showcase the band’s ability to create buildups. A fun whine down then whine back up during the refrain of “Burlesque Desert Window” keeps the track fun and alive. While in the song “The Party’s Over,” the closing track of the album, the tremoring sound by Young and McLain create a creeping fear while wallowing in reminiscence.

The only song that I did not like was “We’re Alright.” The swinging melody is difficult to sit through during the verses and the instrumental section is the band’s weakest performance. The melody on the chorus is easier to listen to.

However, I would not put it past the band, nor Tweedy, for it to be intentional, as it creates a strange feeling for the listener and is in correlation with the lyrics. The previously mentioned “Central Hillside Blues” gave me a similar feeling, but the emotion of the song swung me back over to liking it.

Despite two songs failing to compete with the rest, this album certainly has won me over and could definitely be considered the best album out of Minnesota this year. Trampled by Turtles has pride itself in making music for music’s sake, never striving to sell out stadiums.

In comparison to some bigger names like Sturgill Simpson and Billy Strings, who probably have bigger production budgets than Trampled by Turtles, the quality in writing and performance in “Alpenglow” easily competes with Grammy award-winning artists.

This veteran band continues to grow and impress. With the support of outside help, the band was able to tap into a sound that was new, yet still familiar. Although the band has been known to experiment in the past with different genres, Tweedy helped the band explore its talent to create another tremendous album in the field of folk and bluegrass.

My rating of this album is based on a number of things: quality of lyrics, musical performance, production, sound mixing, execution on themes and personal enjoyment. With all this in mind, and using the rating scale made by music critic Anthony Fantano, I’m feeling a decent to strong eight for “Alpenglow.”

Joe LaPorte can be reached at lapo7605@stthomas.edu.