On Holly Throsby
I watched this video of the amazing Holly Throsby the other day, performing one of her songs on one of many pianos that have been setup around Sydney as an art installation. Anyone who wants to play can sit down and have a go, which is a really cool idea. They've evidently filmed some performers doing their thing, Holly Throsby being one.
Which led me to writing about Ms. Throsby, who has been one of my biggest musical obsessions of last year. Her newest album, 'A Loud Call', was released in 2008 and is the best thing she's done. It's struck a massive chord with my wife and me, culminating in us ditching the kids for a night and seeing her live late last year in a really intimate show at a bar.
Hard to describe exactly what separates her from other acoustic-based female singer/ songwriters, but at the same time, listening to her she's actually unlike anything you've heard. Her whispery vocal style is really unique and truly soothing. It envelops you and takes away your cares for a brief time, even though she's often singing about fears of her own. I've read that she's not a big fan of her "odd" voice, but to me it's that oddness that makes it so engaging. Hendrix didn't like his voice, Dylan probably didn't like his, but it's about the feeling and delivery, and more than anything else, the songwriting. In the end, loving the stranger stuff is more rewarding anyway.
Lyrically she writes some beautiful, thoughtful stuff, with one of my favourite passages being this from 'Now I Love Someone' (makes me think of my wife):
"Because my wins are your wins
In the sleet, in the spring
And your losses are my losses when you're opposite me only
Now we love somebody"
'A Loud Call' has songs that have stepped up a notch from her previous albums (which were amazing in themselves). Holly uses her voice to her advantage more than before, sounding a bit more versatile. It's richer and even more intimate in its sound and production, being recorded in Nashville, probably with a bigger budget (though that's not always a good thing). This thing is a near perfect album for any occasion, any time of the day, any mood. It slotted seamlessly into my life almost every day for a while there, and I haven't got sick of it yet -- I'm not sure that would be possible. It'd be like getting sick of dreaming or chilling out on the couch -- great things that you just take for granted that always bring you joy.
