Sarah Brusco – The Woven Whisper
May 31, 2015 CD Reviews
Sarah Brusco
The Woven Whisper
Sarah’s bio states that she creates “space;” “Space to contemplate. Space to worship.” And that’s exactly how I would describe her music styling on “The Woven Whisper.”
It has a very atmospheric tone and the vocals tend to be introspective and airy. It’s like a gentle breeze of melody similar to a fragrant breeze through a lilac bush, very pleasing to the senses and calming to the spirit.
A couple of my favorite songs are “The Wood Between the Worlds” and “Exalt the Lord.” The first is more of a musical interlude, as it is primarily instrumental with cries of worship in the background. It inspires a meditative state that puts the focus on worship, which is where “Exalt the Lord” comes in as my second favorite. It’s a perfect example of the heart of the artist.
Every track on the CD is literally woven with melodious prayer and worship. “At Peace” however, steps out of the usual lighthearted format with a bit of hip-hop infused worship. It’s subtle though and mostly during the intro/outro portion of the song. “The Woven Whisper” is a decent alternative/addition to the more contemporary pop worship. I found it to be very peaceful and contemplative with an altogether very calming effect.
For more on Sarah Brusco check out her band camp page (https://sarahbrusco.bandcamp.com/releases) or Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/thewovenwhisper).
– Ken W.
Abandon Kansas – Alligator
May 17, 2015 CD Reviews
Abandon Kansas
Alligator
BC Music
My immediate thought was “controversial,” as I am attuned to sterilized radio tunes that rarely get more provocative than a G rated movie. Good or bad, crass or cultured, the lyrical content is going to stimulate discussion. So as long as Abandon Kansas isn’t worried about isolating some, or receiving backlash from the Christian community (in general), they have a winner. It’s a deeply personal album about a life that’s not always peachy.
Personally, I find some of it to be very poetic. In particular, the feeling I get listening to “What You Meant” is very genuine. And this wouldn’t be the first time I’ve received a project for review with an Explicit Lyrics warning, so the last little “d***it” dropped at the end of “What You Meant” wasn’t as shocking to me, but it may be to others.
“Mirror” makes me hurt for those that never find hope, those that eventually give up on God. It also brings up a thought that I rarely got a sense of hope at all throughout the album, except for the closer “You Oughta Know.” I would like to have had all the lyrics though to really dig into each song, but in my mind this closing song is a positive and reassuring song to close on.
“Alligator” is an album that’s likely to connect well with the faithful followers of Abandon Kansas, however, it’s likely to ruffle feathers with a few explicative words dropped in for expressive purposes and it’s darker side of life lyrical perspective.
– Ken W.
Pacific Gold – Sing My Welcome Home
May 17, 2015 CD Reviews
Pacific Gold
Sing My Welcome Home
BC Music
Pacific Gold’s style is to take spirituals and hymns and refresh them with new arrangements, melodies and chords. With a stated influence in 60’s psychedelic and pop as well as modern indie rock, their style is indeed unique. At some points I think of a pre Waters/Gilmore Pinky Floyd or the singer-songwriter period blended with the modern indie-rock of the northwest.
The hymns are very much like storytelling and combined with the new contemplative soundtracks laid down by Pacific Gold, I have found them to be very musically stimulating. I love the melodic nature of the music, as it’s very meditative and stimulating.
“Sing My Welcome Home” is a very artistic project with distinctive musical scores that I find interesting. However, the downside is that this would generally appeal to very unique niche as well. I’m a fan of the old hymns, but with the new tunes I don’t really recognize many of the songs on this project. That may be a limiting factor for some listeners.
Check it out for yourself at their official website: http://www.pacific-gold.com/
– Ken W.
