Morning Glow, Adriane Lake (Mineral Music 2009)
First of all let me start with a quick introduction to explain how I came to write this view and how my perspective of it was formed. I will be brief as I know that’s not why you are here. I have some background in sound engineering and a lifetime love of music. However, I recently fell out of love with the UK music scene and drifted away from music into photography. In order to get back into music I returned to my old favourite of Hip Hop such as Grandmaster Flash and Run DMC – what I believe the kids call old skool.
Being a of a certain age (over 30) and due to my work that often involves early morning and late commutes, I cannot listen to Hip Hop all day so I turned to Electronica for those times when Hip Hop would just not do. I listened to my old favourites such as James Bernard and through the Twitterverse discovered artists such as Tara Busch, who through the #Followfriday stream in turn lead me to today’s review of Adriane Lake’s new album.
Introducing Miss Adriane Lake.
Morning Glow is Adriane’s second LP release. Her first offering was recorded under the pseudonym of Adri and was titled “Adrift” (Mineral Music 1999). Adriane is an accomplished Canadian producer who has remixed artists such as Fidgital and Landscape Body Machine. After successful rotation on Canadian electronica and indie radio Adrianne has dropped the “Adri” moniker in what seems to be a shift to a more mature style of recording. She is also a regular blogger on Twitter.
Morning Glow is released on Mineral Music and can be bought worldwide in iTunes and in the UK it is very reasonably priced at £7.11.
Morning Glow
The album opens with “So Beautiful” which is a great taster of the album with haunting vocals that weave over a skitish beat. These vocals are a feature of the album and are Adriane’s trademark. Adriane’s production techniques are also stamped firmly all over the album and feature from the out set. There are also some exquisite synth squeleches and basslines in use. It is obvious that this is not your average electronica album from this opener. The vocal quality and eeriness sit at odds with the backing track but in a way that just fits so perfectly.
As you settle into the first track you hope this is a sign of the path that the whole album will follow knowing that you can listen to this without thought in as much detail as you like. However, this is not what Adriane wants and she throws you a curveball with the second track, and first instrumental, “Jacques Cousteau”. For some reason (probably the accordion) this reminds me of Blur’s To The End. An Anglo Saxon interpretation of France. In much the same way that a lot of Americans seem to think that British city workers still wear bowler hats. The sublime electronica backing of beats, bass and synths are all there but the juxtaposition of the accordion is again at odds with the rest of the track but in a way that seems so right.
So slightly unsettled as to where this album is going you move onto the third track “Who Are The People In My Life” and begin to get an insight into Adrianes current frame of mind. The atmospheric vocals are back asking us who are the people in Adrianes life and the strangers she denies. She invites us to use her eyes to look at the world and states how nice it would be. When reviewing this album I gradually began to look at what Adriane is saying through her lyrics and I find her to be introspective and somewhat feeling misunderstood. This bearing of the soul opens you up to Adriane and provides a depth that is often missing from her contemporaries in the electronica world.
The next track, “Lost Umbrellas” sees the album return to an instrumental and the introduction of another prominent theme in this work – the piano. Here a beautiful piano line floats over the top of the electronic back beat in much the same way as the vocals do in the rest of the tracks. This is not the quirky instrumental of “Jacques Cousteau” but a more flowing piece that sits in with the rest of the album in a more traditional way. This is the straight slow ball.
“Only A Fantasy” returns us to the vocals but with a plainer feel to them with a thumping bassline and drum accompaniment. Synth pads also lift this track. Again we delve into the psyche of Miss Lake and her relationship of her world to the mass produced media we see and how the two differ so. This track in particular really makes me want to sit down and talk with the artist. I get the feeling that a cup of tea and a chat is the perfect way to get to know Adriane better (although this may just be the Brit in me!).
The quirkiness returns with “Cadillac Cat” with its jumpy keyboard part and cat like vocals and synth meowing. This is the most upbeat track on a laid back and laid bare album. This is where we see the fun side of Adriane’s personality and the hint of laughter in her vocals. I cannot ascertain if the cat is real and belongs to Adriane or if it is really a personification of herself. Only one person can tell us for sure!
As typical of the album we return to the template with “Seven Again” with Adriane reminiscing about the delights of childhood and how great it would be to live those days over and over again. This time the piano appears to be warped in with a syth making this a much more electronic affair but still with a touch of classiness.
“Blanket Of Love” is the following track that feels much like it is wrapped around you of an evening sitting on the porch as day turns to night. The laid back beat, whirling synth and harp give a dream like state that coupled with the vocals produce a strong tapestry and feeling. I cant help but wonder who left Adriane behind as refrained in the song.
By now you are feeling in touch with the artist musically and personally but the album draws to a close with its longest track “The Fullness Of Life” This track is the perfect conclusion to the album. Lullaby chimes and soft vocal da da da’s kick into a slow beat that gradually builds up through the track before it drops you gently back down to where you started.
So this short album has ended after only nine tracks and has only taken just over 40 minutes of your time. In this age of extra long players and multi media compilations do you feel short changed? The answer is no. I believe this is firmly down to the artist herself, for Adriane is not your typical female vocalist. This is no manufactured release. This is a mature and well produced body of work. And it is indeed a body of work and not a collection of singles. Despite the instrumentals and odd quirks this is an album. To those of you of my certain age this is a return to what the music industry used to be. An artist letting you into their life and showing you it in their view.
This is both musically and intellectually mature for someone of Adriane’s age. Her abilities as a producer shine through and her introspective, heartfelt vocals draw you into her world. This album is perfect for listening to at all times of the day from the early starts to the hot afternoons and late night chill outs. I can vouch for this as I have done so. Not so much a man for all seasons but a women for all times.
For those of you who like female vocalists, synths and electronica this album is a must have. If you know someone who thinks that Dido is the pinnacle of female vocalists point them to Beth Orton and then hand them Morning Glow. If you to are fed up with the mass production of media trash and want to fall in love with music buy this and remember that you have a soul and yes, there are still some good, decent musicians making records like they used to for the pleasure of it and not for the profit.
I know I have.
For more info on Adriane see
Follow her Twitter updates at
Tara Busch
www.tarabusch.com www.analogsuicide.com www.twitter.com/tarabusch
Grand Master Flash
James Bernard
www.myspace.com/jamesbernardmusic
Fidgital
Landscape Body Machine
www.myspace.com/landscapebodymachine
Photo copyright 1st image Mineral Music, 2nd & 3rd Images Keith Loh
