As a blogger/journalist my ultimate goal is to provide people with the latest information regarding my topic of choice as reliably as I possibly can. For this blog, that topic is music. Often I get lost in the haze of pop culture and fail to live up to my own goals to deliver fresh sounds to my viewers. It is one of the most essential purposes I had in mind when creating this blog.
Every once in a while you stumble upon a sound so astounding, so mind blowing... the impact on you is so great that you regret having wasting the majority of your free time blogging on the mainstream music that every other blog on the net is posting.
This year, I stumbled on something that did exactly that. Shel. In July they gave an early release of the most complete, well put together albums of 2012 thus far. It's extremely rare that you can listen to an album from beginning to end, (and for all of you stans out there, especially those unable to put bias aside) without skipping any tracks. Even as Britney Spears fans I find a few tracks on her album that are unbearable. The only other artist with a major album released with a tracklist as cohesive as Shel, this year, was Lana Del Rey.
From the first track, "Paint My Life," to the finale "When the Dragon Came Down," Shel delivers a range of unbelievable vocal and instrumental abilities that are refreshing in this dizzying world of recycled computer beats and robotic, overperfected auto tune.
What makes this album so great? The amount of personality that each sister was able to squeeze into each track, individually and personally. On tracks like "When The Dragon Came Down" or "Like Minded Fool" (a personal favorite) the harmonies are unmatched by any girl group that readily comes to mind. Certain parts of "Lost At Sea" will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Eva, who takes the role as lead singer, has a unique quality to her voice that really pulls everything together.
The vocal skills are just the beginning of what makes this album great. When you take into consideration that 98% or more of the production consist of the girls, themselves, playing every note. Each sister takes at least one song to show of their talents. Liz, is guilty of really heightening each production with her skills on the percussion, but one of the greatest moments on the album, over all, is her thunderous performance on "The Battle of Evermore." So much so, that any Led Zepplin fan would likely bow at the updated cover. Lead singer Eva showcases her lightning fast hands and writing skills on the beautiful mandolin ballad "Tuscany," where she goes head-to-head (total Battle of the Banjos style) with sister Sarah, who's a fucking surgeon on her fiddle. Then there's the leggy, Maxim Hot 100-esque Hannah (pronounced without the first "H!") who's introduction on "The Man Who Was The Circus" would have exhausted Natalie Portman in Black Swan. Each track is a music masterpiece.
The great thing about "indie" albums is that they are a lot more genuine than mainstream releases. By genuine, I mean the kind of music that makes you obsess over every detail, which I've been doing since I got my hand on this LP in the middle of June. I haven't been so excited about music since I discovered Regina Spektor back in 2006.
That said, this album gets the first 10 out of 10 review I've given this year. It's really on the verge of perfect. I'd recommend this album to anyone who has an affinity for live music, real instruments and pure vocals.
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