AWmusic

“See Your Midnight Breath In The Shipyard” starts with a gorgeously soft melody that is reminiscent of mornings I’ve spent sitting on a porch at a friends cottage with a cup of tea, the lake covered with mist as the sun slowly burns it off. Haunting harmonies sound like they are coming from the bowels of a submarine, yet Hamilton’s voice keeps the song from floating away, grounding the song like the pines trees standing beside the cottage. Hamilton’s voice is like a mix of Issa (formerly Jane Siberry), Allison Crowe, Buffy Sainte Marie and Amy Millan with Amanda Palmer’s quirkiness thrown in for good measure.

This album is different from her previous releases, “Feudal Ladies Club” and “How We Think About Light” (EP), in a couple of ways, the first is that this is her first time in a proper studio – it was recorded at OIART studios in London, Ont. where producer Mark Vogelsang is an instructor – and secondly this is her first time with a full band – Craig Browne, Adam White, Steve Pulchaski and Andy Sadoway. The addition of guitarist Craig Browne (The Constantines) has only helped to add focus and interest to Hamilton’s eclectic and unique songwriting. Hamilton’s previous recordings have been more country/folk with a hippieish quality that often sounded as if something was missing. The band fills the void quite nicely, with baggy drum beats, electric guitar riffs and alternative folk/rock melodies that actually enhance her unusual vocals and lyrics. The songs were recorded live off the floor but because of Vogelsang’s deft touch there is an almost hollow quality that adds distance without compromising the intimacy of the tunes.

Mark Vogelsang and Hamilton approached these songs in a rather unique way in that the whole idea for the sound of this album was to experiment by imaging what the songs would sound like in different rooms on a ship. I think this concept was realized brilliantly and often you can close your eyes and believe you are lying on the deck of a boat as it lazily bobs on a lake or that you are lying on the end of a dock with the sun warming both you and the wood while waves gently slap the beach. Such is the feeling you get from Wherever You Are. Figure It Out comes from below decks with it’s slight echo and dreamy waltzy melody and there is a slight sea-sickness feel to it as the trancelike melody intensifies slightly as the song progresses.

There is a nice flow to this album, each song is different but they glide into each other in such a way that there are no jarring changes or shifts rather the dreamy, ethereal quality of each song is highlighted by the preceding song. Moth, the last song of the album, is a fine end to a day spent languishing on a boat as it lazily drifts down a softly flowing river. We started out sitting on the porch watching the morning sun and ended the day sitting on the same porch watching the sun set. Moth is aptly titled in this context, moths buzzing around the porch light as the other cottages turn off their lights and drift off to sleep.

You can find Megan Hamilton on MySpace where you can also buy this album. You can also pick this up and her other releases on iTunes, Zunior, and Amazon as well as through her record label and through Scratch Records. You can contact her and learn more about her and any upcoming tour dates through her website although I couldn’t get it to load for me.

Megan Hamilton – Cat Tail Legs
Megan Hamilton – Figure It Out
Megan Hamilton – Moth

Tags: album