Bleeding Fiction

Whenever I sit down to absorb a new project from an author or musician that I really love, I get a little bit scared. I have a moment's hesitation as I worry that it might suck. There are a few artists whose past work is so close to the core of my self that their continued greatness (or at least lack of suckitude) is vitally important to me. It's not like their old work would be somehow invalidated by something new and not so good; it's more like the world would be a lesser place for the lack of its ability to produce consistent wonder.

Erin McKeown released her new album, We Will Become Like Birds, today. It would be a cruel and pointless understatement to say that this has been my most anticipated event for the last two months, minimum. I've got the album on repeat in my stereo right now. The Lady does not disappoint. Birds is a little more sedate, a little more thoughtful than her previous albums, but it's also more even. The 12 songs on the album (not a one of them I didn't instantly like) are nicely balanced against each other and keep the feel and theme of the album going strong throughout. Erin's guitar and voice are as good as they've ever been, her lyrics are clever and playful. The whole thing's just great and, if I had to pick a single word, uplifting.

Erin's, stylistically, a hard girl to pin down, and I think that's intentional. She's not really folk, not really "singer-songwriter," not really indie. I think Erin probably puts it best herself on myspace, when she says "the music that i make is a direct reflection of the music i love, and i love music that lifts you, that makes you feel invincible and incredible for 3 and a half minutes of roaring guitars and choruses- the highest hopes, the deepest faith expressed in the dynamics of emotion and sound." I can't argue with that sentiment, and while this album might not quite get up to "roaring," it certainly hits the rest dead on. Honestly, this album reminds me a little of an all-Erin version of the Garden State soundtrack.

If you want to give a listen to what this album's like, check it out here. Needless to say, I heavily recommend it.

Oh, and this entry's title, a reference to the opening song on the album, is Latin. Translated into English it says "through rough ways, to the stars." In other words: through suffering, to greatness. Yeah.