Review: Desire: Everasking Edition by Caroline Polachek released via Perpetual Novice
This is a deluxe album review; we reviewed the original album when it was initially released.
One year to the day of its release, Carolie Polachek has presented a new, eight track longer edition of her 2023 sophomore album. I remember being quite a fan of Desire in 2023 with my biggest issue being the latter half of the record started to feel stale on repeat listens and there not being much of a landed ending in “Billions.” While I can’t really say bonus tracks serve as an actual finale there have been some strong additions, the album now features four new songs, two new renditions, an interlude and the inclusion of the 2023 stand-alone single “Dang.”
And let’s start there; “Dang” has an awkward production on the vocal side, some words feel cut off, it feels like entire vocalizations are edited out and it comes across as pretty jarring. I sort of felt this way when it was released as well, and it feels like it clashes with the rest of the record. I’m glad it’s being included on a record, and it feels better to listen to when it comes on after another track but still don’t feel too hot on it. I think I can enjoy the track if I dismiss it to myself as a demo especially when “Coma” later on does everything “Dang” tries to do but better. There’s a steadiness to a wild and untamed beat. There’s passionate yet split vocalization. It’s sort of all over the place while also being an effective pop song.
While a lot of these tracks sound like their own separate beasts there are certainly hints of the original record. On “Spring is Coming” there is some vocal riffing, echoey production, all these signature styles which made Desire so strong in the first place. Even in comparison, however, “Spring” feels a bit freer. This sounds like someone having a blast making a track and just getting lost doing it.
There is a new version of “Butterfly Net” now with a Weyes Blood feature. This new version sounds more minimal, which I think serves the composition a little better especially in this new synth outro. Caroline and Weyes are a really strong combo vocally and the feature never feel overused. We get some beautiful backing vocals; some good harmonies and it makes it all sound quite lovely. The acoustic version of “I Believe” now closes the record and it’s nice to see Caroline in this setting. A lot of this record is huge and fantastic but it’s also very polished. Hearing this singer in an acoustic setting is a nice change, especially closing a project out and the string sections and guitars make it all the more rewarding. I think both of these new renditions work for me even better than their originals.
There is another feature from Oneohtrix Point Never on “Long Road Home.” While I’ve heard a fair amount of his production up until this point, I haven't really heard much of his own music so I still can’t quite say I know enough to pin a style down. What I can say here is he does provide an interesting beat with a lot of cool instrumental dips and even plays around with editing Caroline’s vocal flexing in a unique way.
I think all of the songs presented on the Everasking Edition are worth something in their own ways. There isn’t much of a thread holding these bonus tracks together. Aside from the poetry driven interlude “Meanwhile” this sort of feels like a collection of singles as opposed to an addition to an album. Even with this in mind and even with one of the tracks being significantly weaker I think as an eight-track project I do enjoy this. It’s a nice addition to a good album, in fact I might even prefer this as side-B of the original.
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