At Weddings

構成数 : 1
合計収録時間 : 00:00:00
The debut of American singer/songwriter Sarah Beth Tomberlin, who records under her surname, At Weddings was written while she was working full-time to put herself through college. It focuses on related themes of isolation and young adulthood, which for her involved independence from a strict religious upbringing in rural Southern Illinois. Tomberlin's brittle vocals are accompanied mainly by acoustic guitar with touches of keyboards and strings on an album that features performances by only the songwriter and producer Owen Pallett. Intimate and minimalist in terms of its songwriting as much as its arrangements, the album feels physically confined, even as she reveals private thoughts and strives to find a path forward. The opening track "Any Other Way" offers such empowerment in lyrics like "I can't look back/I needed some self-assurance/I'm gonna find that." Musically, the song's relentless strummed guitar and repeated verse that never finds a chorus eventually gather momentum toward change via layered vocal harmonies, twinkling keys, and a subtle uptick in tempo. Elsewhere, "I'm Not Scared" and "Self-Help" find a complicated peace in acceptance without denying harsh realities ("I used the self-help book to kill a fly"). Other songs take on love, loss, and unrelenting loneliness, all with a quiet candor that combines youthful angst and a wisdom beyond her years. While simple and often musically somnolent, its heart-wrenching effect is ultimately hard to shake. ~ Marcy Donelson