Soft Ledges' Self-Titled Debut
Soft Ledges has debuted their first full length album, a mix of dark-themed experimental rock songs and roots driven ballads. I break down four of my favorite tracks from the brainchild of Shelley Miller and Chris Geisler in this review.
La Niña
The opening track to Soft Ledges is a brooding abyss of electrified guitars and minor chord from Miller's piano. Her voice weaves up from and down into the wailing electric tones and fuzz bass, as if the song's subject is gasping for breath. The listener is right there with her, feeling cold and immersed in the freezing waters of tragic choices. No surprises await, no chance for a light at the end of the tunnel, the song finishes as it started, dark, lonely, and isolated from hope of better
times.
Deer Fly Blues
Defining various instrumental parts and arrangements before diving into lyrics, Soft Ledges places a strong emphasis on atmosphere and environment. Deer Fly Blues provides a great example of this, with heavy fuzz hanging under the mix while stabs and slices of guitars pierce out of the cloudy mirk of music and noises. At 6 and a half minutes, it is the longest song on the album, growing from a simple arrangement early on to a wall of sound and fury. It offers a great look at the band's capacity to create unique and experimental arrangements and blend them with lyrics that don't clash with overall tone of the music.
Long Way To The Ground
If there is a moment where the light shines and the darkness fades away ever so slightly on this album, it is when listening to long way to the ground. A fingerpicked melody opens the song, with a toned down bass and complementing guitar on counter melody. The title, which is repeated throughout the song, and the song as a whole has a country-roots sound to it overall, without ever crossing over into the cliche messages and subjects that plague modern country music. Its simplicity invites the listener in to really focus on the lyrics with their meditative offer to let the feelings of coming up short and negativity to have their moment, so the good times can come around again and be enjoyed fully when they arrive.
Don't Wait
A beautiful ballad with a lovely chord progression on piano, this song caters to the band’s Chicago roots. Geisler’s bass grooves along like the tide coming in and washing away, providing Miller’s vocals space, tugging on the listener and daring them not to be drawn in and open herself up. It harkens to some of the old school rhythm and blues and soul acts of the sixties and seventies, best captured in the Muscle Shoals era of music. I love how this song carries us along, the message simple but profound, life hurts, and it hurts more when you’re alone. Don’t fall into that trap of waiting for a good love to come, go and find it now, fast as you can.
The rest of the album is completed by a variety of songs with similar topics, themes, and tones. These were some of my favorites that stood out, but give the whole album a listen and follow the band on Facebook and purchase the album to, or preorder the vinyl version coming out in quarter one of 2017.
Soft Ledges album release show is Dec. 4 at Elastic Arts
