A long weekend has arrived (for us Canadians, it is Thanksgiving) and it couldn’t come at a better time. I am looking forward to a full recharge and also a big roast beef dinner (thank you, S.). We don’t do the turkey thing, but we do eat a fancy meal.
In music news I went a little crazy last week and ordered a LOT of music, through my local record store, Bandcamp and (yech) another online retailer I’ll not name, but sometimes use as a last resort. Most of it has arrived and the long weekend will feature a whole lot of different styles – German folk, Americana, indie, rap, metal and good ole rock n’ roll will all feature. You’ll hear all about these albums when I randomly role them, because that’s how it works here on the CD Odyssey. We never know where we’re going to sail next!
Disc 1773 is…Trophy
Artist: Kate Davis
Year of Release: 2019
What’s up with the Cover? Giant Head Cover! Not much to say beyond that. It is sparkly?
Not cover related, but the CD copy of “Trophy” is in a cardboard fold with no spine. This means to file it with my CDs as-is would mean I wouldn’t be able to see it when picking an album. This has become increasingly common with CDs. C’mon, artists. You don’t have to release on CD, but if you do please make the packaging substantial enough that you can read the name of the album on the spine.
How I Came To Know It: As it happens, not through her work with Postmodern Jukebox like most people. I heard about her through reading a couple of reviews on music websites I frequent (in this case Paste and Pitchfork both reviewed the record). Neither was effusive but when reading a music review it is less about the rating assigned and more about whether the music sounds like something you would like. I hope you find my musings similarly useful.
I ordered this album through Bandcamp and Kate Davis’ manager was very personable and kind. Great service!
How It Stacks Up: This is my only Kate Davis album. She’s released a couple since, but neither of them has appealed to me like “Trophy”.
Ratings: 3 stars
Maybe it is the uninspiring cover, but every time I put “Trophy” on I anticipate I’m not going to like it, and every time I’m wrong. This is a solid pop record, with catchy hooks, well-structured songwriting (all Davis), and engaging vocals.
Davis’ vocals are perfectly suited to her style of indie pop, and it makes me glad she moved on from jazz early in her career. Her tone is bright and full, with plenty of range. Her phrasing is particularly on point, landing with a whimsical traipse that makes for easy and engaged listening.
Lyrically, the songs are straightforward and tell mostly stories about love and relationships. “Open Heart” is particularly clever, treating a broken heart with the metaphor of actual heart surgery. Davis’ conclusion: repairing a broken heart means you can get hurt all over again in the future, but the risk is worth it.
“Dirty Teenager” has a dreamy quality to the production, as an awkward teenager sees a beautiful woman and imagines holding her hand. Our character swears that he doesn’t want to be a “dirty teenager” but I sense in the song it’s a battle with hormones that ultimately won’t be won. Besides there’s nothing dirty about wanting to maybe do more than hold someone’s hand. Still, always nice to hear a “I wanna treat her right” sentiment in a song. Ask her out for a coffee, narrator!
Some of the songs are a bit too dear for my tastes, notably the “musical number” quality of “I Like Myself”. It is a lovely sentiment of how being loved can help encourage you to love yourself, and beautifully sung, but the tune is a bit too Broadway for my tastes.
Also, the best songs are front-loaded on the record (a common but unwelcome feature of many modern albums) making things less impactful as you go. The exception is “rbbts” at Track 8, a late-breaking bit of brilliance near the end of the record. “rbbts” is a haunting, yearning sort of tune full of soul-baring moments and artfully placed minor chords. It made me feel the feels.
Before I sign off, hats off to producer Tim Bright. The production on “Trophy” is top quality and I bet done on a light budget, making it that much more laudable. Everything is crisp, and the mix is well balanced. Bright does a great job of showcasing Davis’ strong vocals, while still letting all the other players shine and have moments. I am biased toward this kind of clean (dare I say “bright”) production, so if you prefer saturated overlap or fuzz in your production, you may not agree. I encourage you to write your own blog entry all about that.
Best tracks: Daisy, Open Heart, Dirty Teenager, rbbts
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