Videos by American Songwriter
Angel Snow
Magnetic
(Nettwerk)
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
On initial spin, the change in singer-songwriter Angel Snow’s approach from a relatively standard Nashville bearer of serene, introspective songs to a dream pop chanteuse seems extreme, even radical.
But a closer listen to her 2012 self-titled release shows a restless, lovely, droopy-lidded sensitivity that already feels pensive, especially with the added string quartet that enhanced some tracks. Still, it may take a few spins to warm up to Snow’s transition five years later to heavily overdubbed, thickly reverbed guitars over a floating bed of synthesizers. What hasn’t changed is her smooth, dark chocolate voice and sense of melody that meshes exquisitely with her new sonic style.
Nowhere is that more evident than on the opening title track; a sweet, lilting gem with reflective, sensitive lyrics like “Life has a funny way of showing/ We’ve not arrived to where we’re going,” and a flowing chorus guaranteed to stick in your brain. While Snow’s acoustic guitar is evident on most tracks, it’s merely an underlying component of music that hovers and glides on producer/multi-instrumentalist Lee Groves’ bass, keyboards, programming and overall sound-shaping. Groves, whose credits with Goldfrapp and Depeche Mode wouldn’t seem a natural fit for a once organic singer-songwriter like Snow, is a major presence on this project, almost as essential as the front woman. His light touch and sure sense of arrangements transforms relatively straightforward songs like “Photographs,” a reflection of the lasting memories from a broken relationship, into a wistful jewel with loops and beats expertly woven into the fabric of the music.
There are similarities to similar transformations with Suzanne Vega on 99.9 F and even Emmylou Harris’ striking work (assisted by Daniel Lanois) on Wrecking Ball, both of which pushed these artist’s boundaries into areas they hadn’t previously inhabited. But just because this sort of morphing has happened before doesn’t make Snow’s superb album any less visceral or remarkable. The overall tone stays consistent throughout, but every so often Snow’s acoustic guitar emerges from the musical mist as on the charming “Vienna,” a song that references car stereos, singing angels and visions of the future in an unusual set of intriguing if obtuse images.
Snow’s purring, trance-influenced vocals ground even the most mystical of these songs, and her wonderfully descriptive lyrics balance the spiritual and mundane concepts with a steady hand.
If this is an experiment, it’s one that has not only worked, but paves the way for Snow’s future endeavors that will hopefully be just as daring and successful.
