When musical hemispheres merge
While touring Europe in 2017, Marlon Williams heard a song that literally stopped him in his tracks.
Imagining he had uncovered a lost classic from the 1960s, he was surprised to learn the soulweary sadness of Springtime of the Year was made by Canadian duo Kacy& Clayton, both of whomwere younger than he.
Intrigued and following artistic instinct, he introduced himself via the internet as a dedicated fan. Mutual admiration developed into plans to make an album together and, a year later, Williams was chopping wood at Kacy’s ranch in Saskatoon, while it’s 20 degrees below zero.
The merging of musical hemispheres results in Plastic Bouquet, 11 choice cuts of prime country goodness. For all his standalone beauty, Williams is a gifted and generous collaborator, happy to humbly morph himself to blend with his musical partners. Kacy seems to share a gentle melodic sensibility and the pair intertwine beautifully.
Steel guitar gives a gossamer shine and a specifically Pacific vibe to the instantly familiar
I WonderWhy. An obvious (and excellent) choice for first single, the accompanying video shows the band recording in a rundown studio so small they’re practically standing on one another. The intimacy comes through strong.
They sound like they could have been singing together all their lives on Light of Love, as call and responses spiral in a whirlpool of promises. There is a lovely interpretation of Arahura, a song Williams has had up his sleeve for a few years. It’s not my favourite version, but, regardless, the haunting refrain stays with me long after the song is over.
As a songwriter Williams rarely makes obvious choices.
The Silver Scroll-winning NobodyGets What They Want Anymore certainly doesn’t follow conventional structure or technique. Likewise, in his career, rather than cash-in the Hollywood chips he earnt from his flashy turn in A Star Is Born, Williams continues to choose the path less travelled. Recording with a relatively unknown Canadian folk duo might seem an obscure occupational option, but it’s an investment that will see his stock continue to rise.
There is a plethora of Christmas music every year, much of it less-than-noteworthy, but special mention this season to Phoebe Bridgers’ take onIf
We Make It Through December.
The lyrics to the Christmas classic feel particularly poignant this year, and Bridgers’ tender rendition is quietly devastating. Her version of SilentNight features FionaApple and a dystopian news broadcast prattling away in the background, something so entrenched in 2020 living, there is an awful familiarity to it.
This year has been hugely successful for Bridgers. Her album Punisher is clocking up Top 10 placements on many people’s best-of-the-year lists.
She reinterpreted those songs into slower, dreamier versions of themselves on the highly acclaimed Copycat Killer and now this forlorn, yet festive, four-song EP is the marzipan on the cake.