I Saw First Light

While indie singer/songwriter Anna McClellan launched her music career from her hometown of Omaha, she relocated to New York while working on her second full-length, 2018s Yes and No, which was partially tracked in both cities. Two years later, I saw first light finds her back in Omaha, reflecting on the intervening period. Her second album for Father/Daughter Records, it also features slightly more assured performances from an artist to who favors -- even champions -- homespun immediacy and straight talk over the filtered and refined. Speaking of straight talk, Desperate sees McClellan confessing to a neediness thats out of balance (I know I probably came on a little strong). Its sashaying, midtempo strumming is accompanied by a quietly wailing lead guitar line, lively bass, and steady drums. She turns to instruments like rustic violin, accordion, bongo or similar, and brass in addition to guitar on No Wind. It opens with a rattlesnake-like shaker thats sustained throughout the lament to self-consciousness and overthinking. On a similar theme, Trying Too Hard (And I think its wearing me down) is a spare indie rock ditty that gets sick of itself halfway through and breaks into an instrumental jam. Although self-loathing is a running state of mind here -- the dramatic string-ensemble entry, Gone, is about losing a part of oneself -- there are affectionate moments to be found, like the brighter Feel You and alternative country-rock duet Veronica, an album highlight. While arrangements are varied, I saw first light is consistently candid, ramshackle, and hooky, and McClellans voice -- in both literal and metaphorical senses -- remains distinctly her own. ~ Marcy Donelson