Jennah Barry/Ellis/SPELL
Jennah Barry
Holiday // Forward Music Group
Greetings from small town Alberta!
I had the pleasure of reviewing the new album, Holiday, by Nova Scotia songstress Jennah Barry. She displays such talent through this album which she wrote, arranged, and recorded with her partner in life and music, Colin Nealis. This was all done while being new parents! In the intervals of their new daughters sleep schedule, this album was constructed. Jennah must be Wonder Woman to accomplish so much.
I was extremely moved by this album so dive in and take a ‘Holiday’ with me. I have to add that my favourite family holidays were spent in Nova Scotia. If you ever get a chance to go.... you should.
Track 1 - “No Dancer”
This one reels you into a dreamland with flutes, and beautiful layers of harmonies and extra percussion here and there. This song is a wonderful Waltz!! Oh the of feeling of this song takes you in its embrace then whisks you away on the dance floor. A bit of whirling and twirling did win my heart.
Track 2 - “Roller Disco”
Where is this Roller Disco? I want to go!!! It was a stroll down memory lane for me. Got me thinking about the Roller Rink I used to frequent as a kid. One time Mom dropped me off at Wheelies at the wrong time… it was Seniors Skate. I had fun skating with the seniors anyway.
Track 3 - “The Real Moon”
Breezy little number that has a Suzanne Vega kind of feel. Took me awhile to think of who Jennah’s beautiful vocals styles remind me of.
Track 4 - “Big Universe”
A blanket of stars cloak the sky. We sit beneath it taking in the vastness of the universe. Counting every shooting star and satellite. Venus is really bright these days...ummmm just kiss me already!
Track 5 - “Are You Dreaming”
A soothing lullaby to rock you gently to sleep. I really loved this one. This one must be for the new baby. It’s pretty relaxing. Makes my inner child feel content and safe.
Track 6- “Rocket”
Upbeat and as soothing as a leisurely walk on beach on a summer day. Gentle breeze. Sun on my face. Wind in my hair. Not a care in the world.
Track 7 - “I See Morning”
Rise and shine!! “I See Morning” is like the smell of fresh coffee brewing to coax you out of bed. Good Morning Sunshine!!
Track 8 - “Pink Grey Blue”
I love that this album features a lot of flute. One of the most beautiful sounds compliments this song through and through. Thank you for the flute on this album! So refreshing!
Track 9 - “Stop the Train”
The album closes with a real hypnotic number. How much for a ticket on this train? I get a feeling of.... don’t look back at the past your not going that way.... go forward into the future and as uncertain as it is right now.... you’ll need a good album to listen to for the soundtrack of your life.
Hope you like it!
Sincerely,
Noreen Hurst ️
Ellis
Born Again // Royal Mountain
In the midst of what seems like a bottomless pit of global anxieties and open-ended questions, Hamilton, Ontario’s Linnea Siggelkow, aka Ellis, has given us a world of her own to get lost in with the release of Born Again. Siggelkow’s stunning debut album, out on Royal Moutain Records and Fat Possum Records, comes as a powerful follow-up to her 2018 self-produced EP, The Fuzz.
Working alongside producer Jake Aron (Snail Mail, Solange, Grizzly Bear), the spaciousness of the recordings feel as if they were captured in a cathedral or abandoned hangar. “Pringle Creek”, promptly introduces the combination of hauntingly ethereal vocals, reverb soaked guitar, and enormous-resonant drums. The angsty lyricism paired with a synth-driven, shoegaze feel of title track fills me with a sense of need for a sunny afternoon drive, while conversely wanting to reminisce on the heartbreak of love lost, or the trials and tribulations of human existence.
One thing is for certain, on Born Again, Ellis dances brilliantly between genres; a hazy dream-pop vibe in conjunction with wide, ringing guitar chords leave emotional imprints feeling similar to the sounds of Alvvays, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker. Skiggelkow’s chosen deliverance of deeply personal, bare bones vocals leading to magnificently lush choruses satisfy the desire for familiarity and connection. Tracks like “Happy” and “March 13th”, both delicately soft, yet brief, feel like an intimate display of the personal reflection and growth that come from the process of digging deep and pouring heart and soul into a project.
Born Again feels like an explanation as to why we crave sad songs when we’re hurting. Where heartache, trauma, self-discovery, mortality and personal growth are all inevitable, Ellis offers us a collection of songs to go back to over and over again as a chance to maybe digest some of our own personal anxieties - a quintessential album during these unprecedented times.
- Lauren Giorgio
SPELL
Opulent Decay // Bad Omen Records
Vancouver's SPELL weave romanticism with metal on the third full-length release Opulent Decay. There is no shortage of metal bands doing a traditional revivalist thing these days. The power trio manages to bring honesty and creativity to the artform.
Recorded at Little Red Sounds studio in Westminster, BC, Opulent Decay feels like a lush travel diary. Guitar harmonies punctuate a varied landscape of heavy rythms. Vocalist/Bassist Cam Mesmer reflects on the album's themes:
The tracks “deal with the contrast between opulence and austerity, and the decay that results from imbalance. Our drive to avoid suffering is strong, but it can be overcome by the love for another and the desire to put them before yourself. 'Opulent Decay' examines this balance and the dangers that await on either side of the pendulum."
I really enjoyed the hymnal acapella "Ataraxia" just as much as the reflective "Saturn's Riddle". Other standout tracks include the galloping title track "Opulent Decay" as well as the old-school rock of “Imprisoned by Shadows"
For a three piece, SPELL deftly paints these sonic landscapes. Opulent Decay takes the listener on an epic journey. I felt as if I was travelling through varied ecosystems in a flowing robe. A rogue interloper! Dark forests, barren deserts, foreboding dark alien jungles. Mist at your feet. Take a journey.
- Drew Cox
