The Anchoress: Confessions of a Romance Novelist (Album Review)...

The artist subject of this review is in the true sense of the term a multi-instrumentist able to play a different range of instruments from piano to mandolin, from guitar to glockenspiel. Above all she is a rare case of mind-blowing talent, strength and resilience. A roaring thunder hailing from Wales. Apart from music she also has a PhD in Literature and Queer Theory from the University of London. She has written and published about epic poetry too. Exciting, right?

From 2006 until 2012 she has released a handful of beautiful limited edition, hand-stamped EP’s under Catherine AD moniker. From that period, we highlight "Long Day” (2006), “The Piano” (2007), “Songs for the Boy Who Wouldn't Read Rilke” (2008), “In The Bleak Midwinter” (2009), “Carry Your Heart” (2010), “Communion: Live at Church Studios” (2011 - recorded live in a single afternoon and – considered one of 20 Best Cult/Experimental Albums of 2011 by the NME) and “Reprise: The Covers Collection” (2012). All of them had a particular wave of acclaim among people craving for exciting emerging music acts.

She also collaborated with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in a show at the Royal Festival Hall, but also with the Scottish super-band Dark Flowers and Emmy The Great. In 2014 after many musical adventures she decided to work under a new moniker: The Anchoress (and no, she doesn’t live in seclusion), later that year she released her first EP under the new persona titled “One For Sorrow” (2014), while during the following year she engaged in the Simple Minds, Big Music World Tour 2015, as keyboard player and additional vocalist.

Catherine Anne Davies aka The Anchoress has some musical influences of a more objective nature, she recognizes for instance to have been influenced by Karen Carpenter and The Carpenters, though Prince and Kate Bush are her major idols, but while plunging into her whole work and not only the debut album one easily deconstructs the huge ineffable presence and theatricality of Amanda Palmer and her Dresden Dolls extension, Bjork (from Vespertine phase), as well as Marina & The Diamonds (Family Jewels era), PJ Harvey singing style also often present and the recurrent ghost of Tori Amos.

This fact leads us to the assumption that an album is not properly what a musician considers objectively as her or his narrative of influences, but the way the work speaks volume to the non-mainstream listener devoting time to depict and translate such aural flux of multiple genres and artists.


Confessions of a Romance Novelist released in the early babblings of this year (a week after the release of another top 2016 full length, the unavoidable Blackstar by David Bowie), is that kind of record that on first impact leaves you unexpectedly speechless like when something hits you hard enough, but you don’t quite get from where it came and just acknowledge that you got hit.

Confessions of a Romance Novelist risk being the best indie pop debut LP of 2016, and beyond doubt one of the most accomplished albums of the year. The album displays a very consistent bouquet of songs in some different musical styles, though it is perfectly evident that Catherine Anne Davies oscillates between a posh dark folk and some intense noir chamber pop full of delicious details that catch your attention each time you put the album to a new spin.

No, Confessions of a Romance Novelist isn’t a mainstream pop bubble gum type of album neither pleasant pop pretending to be profound. It is much more than just a pop and it wouldn’t be fair to ignore that there is also a gentle scent of Manic Street Preachers in the way guitars roar in this coherent, almost concept album that will assuredly stand out as one of the most highly rated released throughout 2016.

For this refined masterpiece needless to say that Catherine Anne Davies has played almost an “army” of instruments. It couldn’t be any different considering that the inherent organic character of this album, which in a way announces the closing of a life chapter with some stylized eccentricity and which counted with the contribution of the helping hand of ex-Mansun Paul Draper on production console and took Catherine Anne Davies approximately three and a half long years, fulfilled with many incidents in between, before it was finally concluded.



TRACK BY TRACK

The album opens with Long Year deals about a chain of circumstances and events that at some point do wonder if things are going to improve any better. The song appropriately seasoned with a sinister music box opening paves the way for a dark, dense mood filled with great vocals and exquisite musical details.The fantastic What Goes Around is the «I am going to get even when you’re least expecting it» sort of song that earned Catherine Anne Davies the label of the «revenge pop» artist. Pretty much radio friendly pop rock track highly above the bubble gum mainstream nausea.



Doesn't Kill You being the «nietzschean» contribution to the album. Enchanting song! Catherine Anne Davies literally hypnotizes the listener with her sweet languid vocals. Beautiful to hear and with a strong vibe that inevitably reminds some Manic Street Preachers soundscape. The kind of song and lyrics that you easily hear on loop mode. You and Only You is a «leave me the fuck alone» kind of tune and quite an anthem that you feel that should be sung on your way to work and back home. It has some sort of uplifting formula. A delicious duet between Catherine Anne Davies and Paul Draper.One For Sorrow is the «don’t bullshit me with that crap talk of having to settle down» type of song and once again we have The Manic Street Preachers so very present in this track with languid vocals at her best as well as some Prince-esque vibe resounding throughout this track.



P.S. Fuck You the «go fuck yourself, I don’t want to see you ever again» is a fabulous song that combines the a piano ballad with a layer of fuzzy psychedelic guitar building the sonic metaphor for the broken heart rage.Popular is almost inevitably one of the several highlights of the album and a very Cures-esque type of song with brilliant details all throughout it from which I underline the chorus of voices at the very end. Bury Me is dark emotional, almost elegiac, not confrontational like most of the previous songs. This track, which slightly reminds of Evanescence “Hello” in particular, is exceptionally haunting, showing off what a piano and the wonderful gothic vocals from Catherine Anne Davies can do with this song.



Intermission (Notes To The Editor) is an intermezzo in the album a mantra of dark, nightmarish voices along with a piano and obscure ethereal chorus. It clearly works as the open gate for the album’s epilogue. Waiting to Breathe is another stunning ballad, beautiful and immaculate. Chip On Your Shoulder a highly funk-pop up-tempo frenzied song. Confessions of a Romance Novelist being the melancholic statement which highlights the circularity of this “conceptual” work is a «no, you don’t really know me by the looks» immense heartfelt album closing.

Catherine Anne Davies is already working on her follow up album with ex-Suede guitarist Bernard Butler. Well, in fact and to be more precise this wonderfully talented young lady that i would love to interview was working on the two album simultaneously, but the need to finish confessions and close the cycle made her certainly give priority to that beautiful contribution with which she presented her loyal and growing fan base. The second album is expected for late this year and though different they may sound and be one thing remains for sure: the stakes are too high for Catherine Anne Davies and we are expecting the very best from her.

RATING: 9/10

Spirit System: Nightfalling Brilliance (Album review)

We can probably say without taking the risk of being inaccurate that Spirit System was born from the cold corpse of Elevator Action, but mostly from the still warm ashes of Telltale, the former musical project of Eric Gilstrap and Laurie Ruroden immediately after4 both musicians relocated from Brooklyn back to their native Winston Salem in North Carolina. It was the end of 2012 and along with it some brave new sonic adventures to both Eric and Laurie. 

To cut a long story short, we should mention that the initial aim of Spirit System was to rework on some unfinished ideas and definitely give them a go for some sonic though not yet explores reverberation boundaries. It didn’t take them long to bring to light their bedroom tapes effort in the form of «Together in The Merciful Dark», an EP which was released on January 1st 2013. 

The first semester of 2014 brought a new member to the band, nonetheless than their longtime collaborator and friend Gary Guthrie once a member of Elevator Action to take good care of both drums and samplers. Once the Spirit System holy trinity was completed, their symbiosis worked out smooth and nicely and most of all rewardingly in such a way that during the summer of 2014 they have not only played a bunch of shows, but also got into Galuminium Foil Productions to begin recording Spirit System’s debut full-length with a little help from Jeff Berner at the helm of production console, who was also in charge along with Max Goransson of additional guitars, synth, percussion and noise on some of the songs. The album was mastered by Alex DeTurk. 

The recording process which ends up being most of the times a properly called creative process too lasted from July 2014 until January 2015. The album was initially scheduled for release in March 2015, but due to unexpected delays was rescheduled for March 1st, 2016, but in the meantime precisely in June 25st, 2015, the band decided to release «Afterblume» their second EP containing the extras from the recording sessions of the album. 

Spirit System sonic imagery is anchored into the melodic gloom of post – punk derivatives maybe not so literally a «total sonic devastation», but admittedly a very good hallowed domain for ghosts and recurrent nightmares to come alive in a wasteland pinnacled of drone dark filtered neo psychedelic pop. 

Spirit System’s music burns slowly, spiraling in some sort of warm unfinished disquiet or as I like to call it an atmospheric tamed anxiety that surrealistically hoovers the listener by means of swollen waves of reverbed delay. The aesthetics they present builds upon post-punk refractions, shoegaze and goth and as a final product redounds in a light gloom dark neo-psychedelia. 

NIGHTFALLING - OUR SONG GUIDE 

«This Endless Dance» intro reminded me of Soundpool’s “Mirrors in Your Eyes”, but the song evolved into a swirl of reverberating new wavy guitars and steady drum and bass rhythm along with Juno 8 typical 80’s synth lines widely common among bands like The Cars and The Psychedelic Furs. The mention to both bands is justified not only because they are present at spaces in the album and in this particular song, but also because Eric’s voice tone and the vocals are pretty consistent blend of Richard Butler and Ric Ocasek singing styles without emulation though the similarities are there. 

«Lull» is a beautiful opium cloud of melodic dark guitar sewn with 80’s synth lines and a viciously syncopated rhythmic section that takes hold of the song giving it a wider sonic horizon. The vocals are Butler/Ocasek again and they are good. The general atmosphere inevitably reminds The Cure from their “Wish” period, but also December Sound “Silver Album”. 

«Black Moon» mesmerizes the ear drum with that hypnotic persistent drum pattern and the strong bass line recalling the Peter Hook bass playing style in which the bass is played almost not to say literally like a guitar, this reinforced with vocals that bring to mind Andrew Eldritch low tone. I’d say that this song is mostly a cold wave with synth lines that push it heavily to the atmospheric 80’s with slight strokes of new wave. At spaces, it brings to mind New Order. 

«December, Solitaire» which was co-written with Marty Rogers leaves the listener right from the beginning with the immediate feeling that something is going to be unveiled, maybe undressed. It is a take it off put it on, sway kind of feel. This sweet dream pop type of love song resounds to that Cocteau Twin-esque aesthetics of “Heaven or Las Vegas” album, irradiates a delicate feeling of sensuality, I’d even say that it is a song for any season, any lazy afternoon, almost an invitation to foreplay, beautifully crafted and structured with Laurie Ruroden’s sugary vocals enhancing the languid perfume pervading the song and exquisitely finished with the vocal duet. 

«100,000 Days» is clearly one of the stand out songs of the album and the first that we can properly call a dense dark one. The atmosphere of this song is half “Pornography” and half “Disintegration”. It is extremely Cure-esque and there’s no way out of this feeling. Not saying they were thinking of The Cure while composing this particular song, nor that I am the number one The Cure fan, but the way it affects the ear drum leaves it with a suffocating vivid Cure-esque vibe dancing in the air which is clearly present not only in the guitar drenching and steady bass, but in the excellent drum pattern. Once again we have a very good vocals from Eric and the additional vocals from Laurie gives the song a touch of completeness that help making it almost perfect. 

«Nest» is another stand out song a gorgeous trip of waves of distortion in the line of December Sound noise shoegaze, post-punk mix, a truly beautiful storm of psychedelia with some Television scented guitars, but on the other hand, I can’t help hearing here partial influences from The Church psychedelic drive in the “corpus” of the song. Showing off one more time a delightful rhythmic section with the bass and drums restlessly pounding the beat from start to finish. It is a super addictive track that makes the listener want to float amidst this swirling psychedelia. 

«More Is More» the closing track of the album offers us a reverberating melodicism of wind blowing hypnotic guitars and vocal layers of distant murmurs building upon the lead vocals. 

As an overall assessment I’d say that this is a fine, fine album with a set of seven songs that challenge the listener and does not give any room for remaining indifferent to the sonic release they propose. From track one to track seven we build the idea of something coherent and consistent, well written beautifully played, masterfully produced. There is circularity in this album not a repetitive one, but that of something perfectly finished like a life cycle that speaks to you as a whole piece of artistry.  Well done!

Rating: 7,5/10