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Album Review
by SashaS
18-3-2002
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| Saint Low |
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Mary Lorson & Saint Low: 'Tricks For Dawn'
(Cooking Vinyl)
Mary Lorson continues her one-woman-odyssey to explore edges of musical beauty
After all her work with Madder Rose and a Saint Low debut album, it is normal to expect beauty from Mary Lorson. Her second album, in the latter guise, is ‘Tricks For Dawn’, a collection of tunes that confirm that beauty exists… It might be only small quantities available in the cosmos of mediocrity but when you discover it, it is like finding an oasis on Mars…
Madder Rose emerged in 1993 with a debut ‘Bring It Down’ that combined elements of The Velvet Underground, The Lemmonheads and ethereal pop that went against the prevailing grunge flood… Lorson wrote songs for the outfit but it was her mate’s, Billy Cote, creative vehicle and Mary ended backlogging songs. More emotive and mellower sounds thus found its way on ‘Saint Low’ a couple of years ago.
The odyssey continues here with Cote helping, as on the debut, but this is Lorson show and definitely not Madder Rose. Saint Low produce more angular version of American pop that combines ice-maiden-ness, sparser backing, purity of sound and uplifting of spirit. There is a sense of melancholy but it feels as it is on the way up, rebounded from the pit of loss.
Let me tell you about sorrow and pain of another grey day of existence, it seems to be the message from fragile looking Lorson. But, behind that fragility there is huge strength of character, conviction and a desire to interrupt our world of illusion… Minimalism and soul stripped bare mixed with string-arrangements to melt your prejudice in ‘Friends I Have Been Drinking’, ‘Of Regret’ is jazz-shuffley, ‘Interlude Number Two’ is so graceful and gentle like a flatter of butterfly’s wings.
‘You Lament’ is deeper cutting and hovering at the same time, Evan Dando makes a guest appearance on ‘Long Way Down’, that recalls ragtime creativity of Scott Joplin and the title track closes the album with an air of majestic baroque-ness. Mary Lorson has such an extraordinary voice that has power to put a spell on you and make you go out to make love with strangers, figuratively speaking…
8/10
SashaS
18-3-2002
Mary Lorson And Saint Low album ‘Tricks For Dawn’ is released 18 March 2002 on Cooking Vinyl
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