ALBUM REVIEW :: Squirrel Flower - "I Was Born Swimming"
Squirrel Flower - “I Was Born Swimming”
Released via Polyvinyl January 31st.
“(It is my intention with these lines to give a preview of Squirrel Flower’s most central ideas without robbing future listeners of the ability to have their own personal reactions to her poetry. I have compiled these and synthesized them in this poem in order to introduce her broad themes in this album without spoiling the individual listener’s discovery and experience.)
Home. On your way (out)?
Dark roads hear you breathe
Headlights over your red shoulder
On the radio-- tides of melody
Buzzin’ disembodied
Listen
Intimately underwater
Heavy summer flies
Comfort
Leaving
Harmonies of tingling guitar puddle
You’ve fallen asleep
Birds carry you inside
Answer their call
It is with this nonlinear fluidity that Squirrel Flower’s album, “I Was Born Swimming'', cultivates deeper un-coagulated listening. Hold on tight-- her palpable lyrics will take you for a ride on a scenic highway, unobstructed by traffic jams clogged with aimless fluff. You will find clarity nestled in her pure and simple, yet capable, instrumentation. Streetlights lit with memorable melodies, flickers of pedal steel guitar, and thawing harmonies lead the way. High tides of overcoming emotion coupled with deep splashes of musicality in tracks like “Red Shoulder”, “Honey, Oh Honey!”, and “Streetlight Blues” cause you to speed up on your road to nowhere, while others like “Eight Hours”, “Headlights”, and “Seasonal Affective Disorder” put you in cruise control and force you to float on reflection. After listening, you realize her radio waves washed over you. Now cleansed, above the water, you are hearing clearly for the first time.”
Review by ::
Skylar Rochelle
Manor Co-Organizer & Blog Editor
Manor Records gives 100% of article author rights to Skylar Rochelle
