Songs From a Thousand Frames of Mind

Leading up to the release of her debut album, singer and songwriter Kate Bollinger issued no less than four EPs, signing with Ghostly International for the fourth, after her gentle, jazz-inflected pop attracted the attention of Kanye West, resulting in a songwriting credit on his Donda LP. For her full-length coming-out (also on Ghostly), she not only remains loyal to a crafted, sophisticated, and soft-footed presentation but maunders even further into soft, pillowy textures, including a vocal delivery sometimes so gossamer as to barely uphold the melodies. She also takes her EPs 1960s and 70s singer/songwriter inspirations to the next level with help from contributors including Matthew E. White, Sam Evian, Adam Brisbin (Buck Meek, Katie von Schleicher), and longtime collaborator Jacob Grissom. With a title that captures the lyrics searching, stream-of-consciousness quality, Songs from a Thousand Frames of Mind opens with an Elephant 6-inspired outlier, "Whats This About (La La La La)," that embraces a livelier, more forward-leaning posture while remaining distinctly dulcet-toned. Hushed is an understatement, however, by second track "To Your Own Devices," a floaty entry recorded live to tape with organ, touches of piano, quiet rhythm guitar, droplet bass, and brush-struck snare accompaniment thats representative of most of the album. Elsewhere, Bollinger picks up the tempo on the more Beatlesque "Any Day Now," a song co-written with White; she inhabits a playful waltz on segments of "Postcard from a Cloud"; employs something closer to her full voice on the likewise episodic "I See It Now," another White co-write; and gets a wee bit bluesy on "Sweet Devil" while still half-whispering her vocals. This is to say that theres enough variety here to hold interest despite the albums utterly ethereal surfaces, which are bound to hit more like a sedative than a diversion for many. ~ Marcy Donelson

フェイ・ウェブスターとツアーを行うなど、着実に存在感を強めているアメリカのシンガー・ソングライターが作り上げたファースト・アルバム。60年代のポップスやフォークに影響を受けたという本作は、郷愁的かつヴィンテージ感あふれる音が特徴。メロディーと心地良い譜割りを前面に出したシンプルな音作りが際立っている。クレイロ『Charm』が好きなら楽しめるはずだ。
bounce (C)近藤真弥