Will Stratton Points Of Origin
Will Stratton's Points Of Origin opens as a novel set to music, a California-washed collection where nostalgia and decay coexist with precise, cinematic imagery. Critics agree the record's emotional center is carried by character-driven songs such as “Higher and Drier”, “Bardo or Heaven?” and “Centinela”, which transform intimate portraits into widescreen scenes of fire, loss, and belonging. With lush arrangements that range from pedal steel and brass to ghostly digital textures, the album maps interconnected lives against landscapes that feel both sunlit and apocalyptic.
Across two professional reviews the critical consensus places Points Of Origin as a high point in Stratton's catalog, earning an 89/100 consensus score from two reviews. Reviewers consistently praised the songwriting craft and storytelling — the record's best songs emerge where narrative and arrangement intersect, notably “I Found You” and “Bardo or Heaven?”. Critics noted how production choices push folk and country instrumentation into cinematic territory: “Higher and Drier” sells its central metaphor with devastating clarity, while “Centinela” introduces otherworldly sonics that expand the album's emotional reach.
While both reviews celebrate the album's lyrical empathy and widescreen detail, they frame its strengths differently - one highlights theatrical, McCartney-fronting-The-Band moments like “Temple Bar”, the other underscores hushed tenderness and brass-anchored drama. Taken together, the professional reviews suggest Points Of Origin is a richly imagined, critically acclaimed work that is worth hearing for its standout tracks and its distinctive California storytelling. The full reviews below unpack how these character studies and climate-tinged images make the collection feel both intimate and momentous.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Higher and Drier
2 mentions
"the hushed, dreamy country folk of “Higher and Drier” recalls vintage James Taylor or Wilco at their most tender"— PopMatters
Bardo or Heaven?
2 mentions
"“Bardo or Heaven” , another striking highlight, invokes a bluesier, but stately feel, featuring exquisite brass"— PopMatters
Centinela
2 mentions
"“Centinela” brings in subtle dashes of synthesizer and effects to add texture"— PopMatters
the hushed, dreamy country folk of “Higher and Drier” recalls vintage James Taylor or Wilco at their most tender
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
I Found You
Jesusita
Firewatcher
Temple Bar
Delta Breeze
Red Crossed Star
Bardo or Heaven?
Higher and Drier
Centinela
Slab City
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 4 critics who reviewed this album
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Critic's Take
In his novelistic sweep on Points Of Origin, Will Stratton makes clear that the best songs - notably “Higher and Drier” and “Centinela” - are the album's emotional anchors, small-stage portraits that erupt into cinematic scope. The record luxuriates in detail and voice, and the songwriting in “Higher and Drier” sells its real-estate-as-deal-with-the-devil metaphor with devastating clarity. “Centinela” supplies ghostly digital specters in the chorus that push the album into an otherworldly country realm, while tracks like “Temple Bar” evoke McCartney-fronting-The-Band theatricality. This is a heartbreaking, expansive set whose best tracks are the ones that make the West feel simultaneously intimate and apocalyptic.
Key Points
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The best song is 'Higher and Drier' because its real-estate-as-devil vignette crystallizes the album's moral weight.
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The album's core strengths are its novelistic character vignettes, cinematic scope, and evocative, era-blending arrangements.
Themes
Critic's Take
In his character-driven way Chris Ingalls finds the best songs on Points Of Origin to be those where narrative and arrangement intersect, especially “I Found You” and “Bardo or Heaven”. Ingalls luxuriates in Stratton's novelistic lyrics and lush arrangements, noting how the brass and pedal steel on “I Found You” and the stately, bluesy brass on “Bardo or Heaven” elevate the album's storytelling. The review points listeners seeking the best tracks on Points Of Origin toward these vivid character pieces and the hushed tenderness of “Higher and Drier”, all wrapped in a widescreen California atmosphere. Overall, Ingalls presents Will Stratton at his absolute best, where empathy and beautiful words make the standout songs resonate.
Key Points
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“I Found You” is the best song because its opening lyrics, matched by brass and pedal steel, showcase Stratton’s novelistic storytelling and lush arrangements.
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The album’s core strengths are its California-set narratives, vivid character studies, and tasteful arrangements that support intimate lyrics.