It's going to be difficult for me to write about this album without gushing, but I'm going to try. As you kharmonious frequents know, Brooke Waggoner is new to both Katie and myself, having learned about her from an anonymous tip a few months ago. Very few artists do I connect with so immediately - Ben Folds Five comes to mind and that's about it (not even Dave Matthews Band or Coldplay did I adore instantaneously). But Brooke Waggoner embodies everything I love about music so much, I was helpless. Many of you know I hold music in higher regards than lyrics. That's because we're talking about music after all, not poetry. And many examples of music succeed without lyrics entirely - classical, jazz, movie scores and miscellaneous others. On Brooke's website, she wrote:
"I generally write the music first. Melody. Everything starts on my piano. If it works by itself all stripped down and naked then it's gonna work no matter what. And by work, I mean convey what I'm feeling and trying to give to the listener whether or not I add a bunch of crazy strings, or drum beats, or layers of vocal prettiness or hooks. I write the story with musical themes then add the words to audibly enhance it or to add an additional connecting block for dimension."
It's like she was reading my mind. The piano is paramount - and how I love the piano. The brilliance, the extravagance, the unexpectedness and thrill of her music constantly remind you it's the music taking precedence. She even boldly explains, "sometimes the words are written strictly because they phonetically feel good to say. I suppose it depends on the song. In fact, I often enjoy making up words or using "improper" versions of words such as casted, abode, etc. I do this because I can stretch and stretch. No need to be 'quirky and weird' for the sake of being 'quirky and weird.'".
She hit the nail on the head. There are some 'quirky and weird' artists I enjoy (Regina Spektor and Sufjan Stevens come to mind, even Kate Nash), but Brooke Waggoner really isn't one of them. Her music is truly unique and special without treading into the territory of 'quirky and weird' (similar to Rachael Yamagata I suppose, yet totally different). And just because the music takes precedence doesn't mean the lyrics are bad; they're often thoughtful and reflective. If you share my sentiment of "music over lyrics" or my infatuation with the piano as a musical instrument or simply love great songwriting, then listen to Heal for the Honey, it is my album recommendation for the year.
Okay, so I definitely gushed, so sue me :)
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