The three albums we’re highlighting today put their own spin on the phrase “singer-songwriter”, each creating a singular portrait of our world.
ther – a horrid whisper echoes in a palace of endless joy
Early on a horrid whisper echoes in a palace of endless joy, Heather Jones sings “how strange to be born in a time like now / where everybody’s freaking out.” It’s a perfect encapsulation of everything that makes her work as ther special: matter of fact, poignant and almost comical all at the same time, it captures a complex mix of feelings and emotions in a single phrase. a horrid whisper echoes in a palace of endless joy is a collection of songs so full of these sorts of messy contradictions they seem to come become animate. Arrangements feels elastic, mirroring the cadences of Jones’ stream of conscious lyrics and singular delivery; songs seem to flit, ponder, rest and sprint breathlessly forward. Whether she’s turning a series of disconnected thoughts into a meditation on life and love or exploring her feelings of grief over a lost friend, few recent albums capture the beauty and absurdity of modern life as well as this one.
Greg Mendez – Greg Mendez
Greg Mendez has been a key member of the Philly DIY scene for well over a decade, just as long as he’s been writing and re-working on the songs that make up his third full length album. They’re songs that feel suspended in time, snapshots of Mendez’s life both before and during this period. We see a hint of a strained relationship with his mother in “Sweetie”, a sobering portrait of the pull of addiction in “Maria”, a volatile romantic entanglement in “Clearer Picture of You”; each one is painstakingly etched, cutting straight to the emotional core of its chosen subject. Elliott Smith or fellow Philly artist Alex G are obvious sonic comparisons for Mendez’s hushed singer-songwriter sound, but spiritually the album reminds me most of Car Wheels on a Gravel Road; much like Lucinda’s masterpiece, it’s the rare case where years and years of tinkering and fine tuning actually result in a perfect album.
Michael Cormier-O’Leary – Anything Can Be Left Behind
Michael Cormier-O’Leary’s previous album, More Light!!, was filled with slice of life moments so carefully observed that each one constructed an inner world all its own. While working on its followup, Anything Can Be Left Behind, Cormier-O’Leary got married and relocated from Philadelphia to Maine. These sorts of big life changes seem to animate his new album, a song cycle that explores states of transit. Opener “Here Comes Spring” sets the stage perfectly, capturing the fleeting moments of transition between two seasons. “Letter From Alan” is a correspondence between far flung friends sharing glimpses of their new lives; “Newest Oldest Punk” comically explores what it means to age and be unable to keep pace with your younger self. These songs feel more character focused and less biographical than his previous work, but they’re no less deeply felt; his keen observations and deep sense of humanity breathe life into every track.