9 Sad Symphonies

Having switched up her sound to varying degrees on every album thus far, traversing piano pop, neo-soul, and indie rock along the way, Kate Nash turned to vintage Hollywood musicals for inspiration for her fifth studio LP, 9 Sad Symphonies. It arrives two years after her own musical, Only Gold, had its world premiere off-Broadway. As the title implies, its the melancholiest-sounding album yet from the typically irreverent Brit, who draws on personal heartbreak, self-examination and -motivation, and a downward-turning world view for its subject matter. Rest assured, songs including the opening "Millions of Heartbeats" make clear that Nash hasnt lost her impudent flair; however, by the end of the record, any cheekiness is easily outweighed by disarming earnestness. A couplet like "Everything you feel can just come undone/And the media supports all the far-right scum" offers a little bit of both in the opener, which ends with an encouraging "I guess we have to try." Meanwhile, its wistful, driving piano and yearning vocal melody play like a Broadway "I want song," as lyrics look up to the moon and stars above "millions and millions of heartbeats." The heavy-hearted reflection continues on songs with titles like "Abandoned," "Misery" ("Its out to get you"), and "These Feelings," a bubbly-ish tune with plucked strings and skittering drums that are juxtaposed with lyrics searching for purpose and understanding. On the more self-assured side is "My Bile," a lively, chorus-accompanied acoustic song about knowing ones limitations when it comes to expectations and boundaries. An album with multiple references to being in ones thirties, 9 Sad Symphonies ends on track ten, the playful and folky "Vampyre," which passes along the hard-won wisdom, "Sometimes you gotta…let the demons from your past explode into the sun." ~ Marcy Donelson

女優としても絶好調の英国人シンガー・ソングライターによる6年ぶりの新作。彼女のオフ・ブロードウェイ・ミュージカル「Only Gold」で仕事をしたフレデリック・タイがプロデュースを担当。ピアノや弦楽隊を率いた優雅なプロダクションをバックに、ウィットの効いたチャーミングな歌を披露する。シャレで付けられた表題とは裏腹に、ほのぼのとした牧歌的な全10曲を収録。
bounce (C)村上ひさし