A Fish Of Earth
Song Club, 2020
9/10
A California songstress and poet, Emily Brown is nothing if not unclassifiable, and this installment of her unpredictable song craft comes with feral melodies, impressive singing and, sometimes, the impression that she’s having a conversation with herself in mid-song.
“Amen Amen” starts the listen and makes an immediate impression with Brown’s elegant and expressive vocals in the warm, chamber folk atmosphere, and “Baby Wanting” follows with a playful spirit as she weighs the pros and cons of having a child amid a very busy setting.
In the middle, “Marianne” is a quick blast of many voices in a baroque pop display, while “Dread” is a mix of talking and singing as a dreamy territory is entered with much charm. “I Haven’t Been Through Any Of That”, one of the most adventurous tunes present, then spends 8 minutes amid strategic tension and space, as a cautious landscape unfolds with intimacy and exploration.
“Game Show” and “You Might Rise” bookend the listen, where the former illustrates Brown’s strong vocal prowess alongside soft acoustic guitar and quirky strings, and the latter offers low strings as an introspective mood settles into the eloquent finish.
Certainly inspired by legends like Joni Mitchell and Fiona Apple, Brown is navigating a very atypical approach where classical, jazz, orchestral, baroque and chamber ideas are all part of her indie-folk formula that’s as imaginative as it is captivating.
Travels well with: Malin Pettersen- Wildhorse; Gretchen Peters- Dancing With The Beast