The Giving Shapes fuse neo-classical songwriting, minimalism and chamber folk in this debut release. The duo, formed by pianist Robyn Jacob of Only a Visitor and harpist Elisa Thorn, differs slightly from Jacob’s earlier project. Though it layers similar melodic lines and harmonies over avant jazz-pop, the pace of The Giving Shapes is more suited to a sit down concert. The interplay between their two voices as they overlap creates a collage of images that lend a feeling of exploring nebulous ideas with their incantation. There are no obvious effects layered over the basic elements of their two voices with piano and harp cascading in halting riffs that echo back and forth between the instruments. The closeness to live performance, paired with the complex and detailed nature of the compositions, creates a mood of visionary introspection.
At the beginning of “Dousing”, the piano striking gently percussive intervals in a reverberant sound stage recalls Brian Eno’s Ambient 1: Music for Airports. The ambient quality is further emphasized by the tone of the vocal delivery. The voices of Thorn and Jacob soar effortlessly as they harmonize in a clear yet hushed manner. The overall effect is like the word “gentle” personified.
The longest piece on the album, “Upstream,” begins with an unhurried harp melody, which when joined by Jacob’s piano falls somewhere between a folk and jazz ballad, like a more reserved Joanna Newsom. After they explore this theme and trade impressionistic lyrics back and forth the instrumentation takes a proggy shift to a galloping pace before returning to its meditative centre. Throughout the album, the duo uses unconventional song structures that still retain passages of verse and that have a sense of flow. The musical backdrop is given room to breathe, and the comforting side of the sound has a sleepy charm.
Earth Leaps Up does have a few moments of crescendo, such as the swell at the end of “Gravity”. But the album doesn’t attempt to go beyond its chosen array of moods. It’s the subtle changes in which instrument takes the lead, which voice dominates in a given line keep your attention engaged and carried forward with the groove. You feel like you’re being carried into a dream, familiar yet strange. Because the lyrics read like fragments of poetry, this collection retains its mystery while being constructed from easily discernible elements. The Giving Shapes have crafted a coherent and carefully composed world of sound.
Only a Visitor — Technicolor Education (Self-Released)
Photo by Mayan Vered
Only a Visitor nimbly fuses art pop, jazz, classical minimalism and harmony vocals while darting between ideas in kaleidoscopic compositions. This album is also filled with the excitement of exploring the complexities of history. Thematically, lead songwriter Robyn Jacob, who is of mixed Chinese and European ancestry, explores her family’s intergenerational migration to Canada from China. The ground between the personal to the historical proves to be fertile ground for her writing on experiences and impressions that shift from family memory to the impact of the collective past on the present.
Jacob’s electric piano forms the core of the sound. She creates short phrases that play off the triple layers of vocals by Celina Kurz, Emma Postl and Jacobs herself. The rhythm and low end, with drums Kevin Romain and electric and stand-up bass by Jeff Gammon, propel the music forward in the syncopated time signatures. The band holds back during the verses, achieving emphatic release when they break into the occasional complex groove. When the band does lock into a high intensity jam as on “Bedroom Archeology,” the full power of the vocal harmonies on top of the small band arrangement allows for a feeling of drift while the resonance of the song sinks in. For “Bedroom Archaeology,” the lyrics note “how much of myself will be lost to my children’s grandchildren?” The question comes up while going through artifacts and objects of the singer’s own family’s past.
Elsewhere on “Legacy,” there is a skittering drum beat over aching chords while the band lyrically reinterprets and modifies the well-known Canadian song “Northwest Passage” (originally by Stan Rogers). In doing so, they make a commentary on the construction of the railroad by Chinese laborers. The immensity of the effort and achievement come through, while also the fact that narratives of national greatness are predicated on the “weathered broken bones” of underpaid labor working in dangerous conditions. The lyrical layers build upon the rearrangement of an already strong melody put over new chords. It works.
In comparison to previous Only a Visitor albums, the band hasn’t gone through any major changes in their lineup. However, the strength of the lyrics and the unhurried and proggy musical shifts come off even more naturally for Technicolor Education. The joyful pop sensibilities play off the formal idiosyncrasies of the songs, making for an album that is dense with detail.
