Anna Tivel unveils her seventh long player, entitled Animal Poem, which explores and reveals the pervasive degradations that the socio-cultural constructions of the world at large impose on the planet’s inhabitants. In a way, Animal Poem reflects a search for the meaning of life.
Tivel shares, “I think about being here. How brief it is. How incomplete our understanding. I think about history. All the worlds we’ve created and broken. Revolution and renaissance. Hope and humility. Everyone here is living a creative life – teachers and parents, kids and convenience store clerks. We’re all tasting this wild existence, finding ways to express how much it hurts and moves us. This work is my own small addition to that communal story. The water we swim in. The way our attention molds our truths. Humanity is unfolding as we describe it. We’ll never get it right, but the attempt is everything.”
Co-produced by Tivel and Sam Weber, who plays and sings on the album, guests on the album include Micah Hummel (drums, percussion), Galen Clark (piano, keyboards), Sam Howard (bass), Nicole McCabe (saxophone), Danny Austin-Manning (percussion), Jeffrey Martin (vocals), and of course Tivel (vocals, guitar, violin).
Weber engineered the album at Portland’s Anjuna Studio; Shane Leonard handled mixing, while Jon Neufeld performed mastering. Kale Chesney designed the album, with Christopher Lowell providing the cover photo.
Of the ten tracks on the album, speaking subjectively, highlights include “Holy Equation,” traveling on a lightly strumming guitar topped by Tivel’s chic vocals, radiating a French bistro feel. A drifting sax enters, adding to the glamorous feel of the song.
A personal favorite because of its subdued, elastic flow, “Airplane to Nowhere” allows Tivel to parade the luscious nuances of her voice. Echoing, gleaming guitars infuse the melody with ebbing and rising textures, while the low bray of an organ fills the tune with a yummy glow.
“The winter rain, is blowing sideways some other day, will find you smiling / Don’t worry babe, this is kindness / A little pain, and then you’re flying.”
There’s a wonderful breathy shading to Tivel’s vocals on “White Goose,” as the sparkly ripples of a piano underscore a soft guitar, both buoying up Tivel’s warm, tender voice. Hints of jazz-lite flow through the melody, making it at once alluring and special.
“The Humming,” the final track on the album, wafts forth on floating tones, as Tivel’s vocals offer a sing-song revelation via her whispery voice.
On Animal Poem, the Portland-based folk singer channels almost mystical music on a record dipped in breathtaking poesy.
Discover more about Anna Tivel here.
Anna Tivel is on Tour.
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Anna Tivel “Outsiders”
