B l u e P a r a d e - A S a r a h S l e a n F a n s i t e
|
By Kris Menon
It's easy to imagine Sarah Slean in the bohemian Paris of the early 20th century. Close your eyes, and you can envision her in some smoky Montmartre bar, wearing a red velvet corset, seated in front of a vintage Wurlitzer piano, melodically vocalizing her esoteric lyrics. There exists in her music, in her timbre, in her skilled poet's verse, a direct path to that time and place. It's harder to imagine her in Toronto. And while the latter is the reality, her music continues to make the former seem more realistic.
With the release of Day One, her fourth studio effort in six years and the first since 2002's critically acclaimed Night Bugs, Slean again delivers a stirring collection of tracks: some joyous, some sorrowful, all evocative. It is music that begs imagery, with stories that demand visuals and compositions that seem fit more for cabaret than the rock stage. This is not a slag. To the contrary, Slean, who has a sound similar to that of Rufus Wainwright or The Blessing, has again created an album brimming with emotion and with ample evidence of artistic exploration. Indeed, Day One is her strongest release to date - replete with a newfound attention to percussion, a renewed commitment to lyrics and some interesting guest musicians. But it is Slean's inability or unwillingness to create a more mainstream sound that defines this work, making it one of the best Canadian releases of the year.
Where Night Bugs showcased Slean's skill at marrying piano chord and vocals, Day One shines a light on her capability as a producer. Along with co-producers Peter Prilesnik and Dan Kurtz, Slean has created a more integrated, sonically arousing disc. The material is supported throughout a musical journey by an impressive use of drum machines that bring rhythm and tempo to her romantic sound. The deep, penetrating electronica beat that opens the song California draws you in and does not relinquish its grasp until Slean has played the last notes of this haunting ballad. The metronomic heartbeat layered into the track Vertigo echoes the sentiment of the song, making you dizzy with anticipation.
The lyrics, once again, demonstrate Slean's unique poetic style. It is a style often reminiscent of Irving Layton and Leonard Cohen. Like Layton, Slean excels at constructing complex ideas with very few words. Like Cohen, she has a knack for singing powerful songs of strength and desire with an unfathomably sorrowful voice. On the melancholic cut Your Wish is My Wish, Slean sings, "In my mind-storm I did carry you / Through the briars of disbelief / Through the woods of lethargy / Through a groaning dark so deep / I thought I died." On the song Mary, she conveys this theme of bravery more directly: "I've got all the courage / I'll ever need / I was poetic on my enemies."
Some talented guests help strengthen Slean's work, including underrated Toronto singer songwriter Howie Beck. His masculine but whispery backup vocals on Vertigo create an echo on the track that underscores the high tones in Slean's range, resulting in one of the most memorable vocal couplings in recent times. The hardest rocking track on the album is made so by one of the hardest rocking guitarists to come out of Canada lately. Metal punk guitarist Ian D�sa of the popular band Billy Talent riffs on Lucky Me and, in the process, produces the heaviest tune on the disc.
Slean, like Beck and D'sa, is one of the most compelling musical acts Canada has to offer. She will never outsell Avril or Alanis, but Day One may represent her best shot at achieving popular appeal while holding on to her alternative fan base, Even if she doesn't attain that, there are sure to be plenty of well wishers lining the tracks when Slean next steps off that time travel train from Gare du Nord, circa 1900.
October 4, 2004
|