Laugh On Me
Self-Released, 2023
8/10
This 5th album from the Oakland artist Taughtme welcomes a handful of players, including the instrumentalist Ulfur Hansson, where the subject matter goes back to childhood and a Mormon upbringing that left plenty of inner conflict in its wake.
The soft buzzing of “(Invitation)” begins the listen with much warmth thanks to Gyða Valtýsdóttir’s sophisticated cello, and this segues into the very pretty “Laugh On Me”, where Tom Monger’s harp and Piero Perelli’s drums add much to the dreamy, baroque ideas.
Halfway through, Robert Shelton’s cautious keys and Michael Sempert’s glowing pedal steel populate the pop nods of the cozy “Cuddle”, while “Shutter Up” benefits much from Doug Stewart’s bouncy bass and Andrew Maguire’s calm drums for the intimate and hazy album highlight.
“My Beautiful Friends” and “Sorry Maybe” exit the listen, where the former is a soulful moment that showcases Úlfur Hansson’s synth prowess amid Michelle Moeller’s graceful piano, and the latter layers some of the best singing against gorgeous acoustic guitar.
Although the themes present surround sorting through deep seated guilt, the music is quite lovely, as Blake Aaron Henderson (aka TaughtMe) mashes art, pop, indie and chamber ideas with much creativity and care.
Travels well with: Charlie Risso- Alive; Baby Fire- A Year Of Grace