Sometimes, when you need to get your message out, what’s best
Emma Webb – Soulchime
Recorded, produced and mixed all by Ms. Webb on her laptop, Soulchime mixes quite a few genres, from the slow groove of trip hop (endemic to Bristol, allegedly), lo-fi and the occassional dash of showtunes (in a reduced fat version, though).
With an apparent storyline going around revolving around the themes of magic, Greek underworlds and a song sharing the name with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s only decent musical, Soulchime is a long fairytale of an album. The only thing I could think it could (mildly) compare to is Chris Vrenna’s soundtrack for the Alice in Wonderland, videogame. The ambient is thick, the glockenspiel is used for creepy tones and there’s something otherworldly about Ms. Webb’s voice; like a lullaby from a mother to a child, like a death call from a Valkyrie to the fallen soldier (‘Whistle down the wind’).
There’s a wide variety of instruments used. From a casio keyboard (‘Soulchime’) to some sparse guitar, you get a lot of real (and not so) instrumentations, but the main selling point, again, is Emma Webb‘s voice. Again, it feels like a narrated fantasy novel, with her voice being the narrator driving the action.
Although the whole album is quite a good listen, there’s a few songs worth mentioning. ‘Cassandra’ is a keeper, with an overdriven guitar clashing with a constant trip hop beat. It tugs your heart by sheer vocals, but then beats it back into your chest. ‘Floodtide’ has some vocal layering for a choral effect and it works quite well. Again, atmosphere is the name of the game and you’ll find it well played through the album.
‘Orpheus’ and ‘Hymn of the fallen’ are the Gothic pieces here. Even if there’s more than a tinge of trip hop on the table, the harpsichord-like organ (‘Hymn of the fallen’) and the droning synth (‘Orpheus’) add an air of lamentation and nostalgic regret to the proceedings.
Not a very cheerful album, but then again, when was that a bad thing? With enough care to her product to make it sound quite good and with enough ideas for a wide range of genres, Emma Webb‘s Soulchime is a good case for the DIY path of artistry.
Words: Sam
Links
Sloucher.org 