LP Review: Aldous Harding – Party
Shauna Stapleton · June 25 2017 · 11:00AM
Aldous Harding’s second album might be called Party but it’s far from a joyous affair. Instead the record has more in common with shutting the curtain and curling up with a tub of Ben & Jerry’s than donning your glad rags and hitting the town. Opener “Blend” begins with the line “hey man I really need you back again" setting the album’s tone as one of love, loss and yearning, evoking pre-My Woman era Angel Olson.
“Imagining My Man” is all tender, gently picked guitars, whilst also providing perhaps the album’s most upbeat moment in the form of the chorus’ jubilant shouts of “hey!”
“I’m Not Sorry” is a sparse stripped back affair; the theme of quality of instrumentation not quantity is evident throughout the record, most notably on stand out track “Horizon”. With merely a piano to accompany her, it allows Harding’s many-timbred voice to be at the forefront, so much so it almost sounds as though there are several people singing one song at once. The lyric “every now and then I think about when you die babe” coming across as more haunting than romantic.
Party might not live up to its namesake in terms of fun-factor, but when it comes to being something that will be remembered for many years to come, then here’s one party we hope that we’re invited to.
Dark and brooding, the New Zealander’s second album is a party you’ll never forget.
“Imagining My Man” is all tender, gently picked guitars, whilst also providing perhaps the album’s most upbeat moment in the form of the chorus’ jubilant shouts of “hey!”
“I’m Not Sorry” is a sparse stripped back affair; the theme of quality of instrumentation not quantity is evident throughout the record, most notably on stand out track “Horizon”. With merely a piano to accompany her, it allows Harding’s many-timbred voice to be at the forefront, so much so it almost sounds as though there are several people singing one song at once. The lyric “every now and then I think about when you die babe” coming across as more haunting than romantic.
Party might not live up to its namesake in terms of fun-factor, but when it comes to being something that will be remembered for many years to come, then here’s one party we hope that we’re invited to.
Comments
Post a Comment