Marking 20 years
of bold journalism,
reader supported.
Arts and Culture
Music

Louise Burns Goes Electronic

Hers is a story as old and rock 'n' roll.

Alex Hudson 18 Jul 2013TheTyee.ca

Alex Hudson writes for various music publications and runs a blog called Chipped Hip.

image atom
Louise Burns, she fades to grey

When it comes to musical reinvention, "going electric" is one of the oldest tropes in the book. I'm primarily referring, of course, to Bob Dylan's infamous set at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival when he was booed while performing with a full rock band.

But examples in the past few decades have typically involved synthesizers rather than loud guitars, and this has similarly alienated purists. From Rush to Radiohead to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, there always seems to be a steady stream of rock bands ready to cast aside their guitars and dive headlong into a world of computerized bleeps and bloops. I've even discussed a couple such transformations for The Tyee, with Frankie Rose and Hannah Georgas both embracing more electronic textures on recent albums to great effect.

We can now add Louise Burns to that list thanks to her new album, The Midnight Mass. When writing about the Vancouver songwriter's debut album, 2011's Mellow Drama, I praised its "raw guitars and punchy drums that sound like they were cut live off the floor." Since then, her influences have moved from the '50s and '60s to the '80s, and we all know what that means: sweeping synths, heaps of reverb, and percussion so processed that I'm not always sure whether I'm listening to a drum machine or a real kit.

The Midnight Mass will sound familiar to anyone who owns a copy of the Cure's Disintegration and Kate Bush's Hounds of Love -- or, for that matter, anyone who has heard Burns' other band, Gold & Youth. Opening cut "Emeralds Shatter" is particularly intoxicating, as harmonized hooks and watery guitar leads swirl within a starry-eyed synthscape. "Jasper" gives a subtle tropical twist to a similarly pillowy arrangement, while "San Andreas" is slightly shadowier and more minimal. Raveonettes frontman Sune Rose Wagner handles co-production and mixing duties here, and his blurry shoegaze aesthetic is a big part of what makes the songs so cinematically dreamy.

But as was the case Dylan way back in '65, there are still some good ol' fashioned singer-songwriter tunes nestled within these newfangled arrangements. Acoustic guitar arpeggios are at the centre of "He's My Woman," and the charmingly morose "Don't Like Sunny Days" would likely sound like a fairly straightforward folk-pop ditty were it not for the thick cocoon of fuzzy atmospherics.

Whether Burns is clutching a six-string or twiddling the dials on a synth, these are flat-out beautiful songs. Of course, this won't necessarily stop people from yelling "Judas" if she has the gall to play any folk festivals this summer.  [Tyee]

Read more: Music

  • Share:

Facts matter. Get The Tyee's in-depth journalism delivered to your inbox for free

Tyee Commenting Guidelines

Comments that violate guidelines risk being deleted, and violations may result in a temporary or permanent user ban. Maintain the spirit of good conversation to stay in the discussion.
*Please note The Tyee is not a forum for spreading misinformation about COVID-19, denying its existence or minimizing its risk to public health.

Do:

  • Be thoughtful about how your words may affect the communities you are addressing. Language matters
  • Challenge arguments, not commenters
  • Flag trolls and guideline violations
  • Treat all with respect and curiosity, learn from differences of opinion
  • Verify facts, debunk rumours, point out logical fallacies
  • Add context and background
  • Note typos and reporting blind spots
  • Stay on topic

Do not:

  • Use sexist, classist, racist, homophobic or transphobic language
  • Ridicule, misgender, bully, threaten, name call, troll or wish harm on others
  • Personally attack authors or contributors
  • Spread misinformation or perpetuate conspiracies
  • Libel, defame or publish falsehoods
  • Attempt to guess other commenters’ real-life identities
  • Post links without providing context

LATEST STORIES

The Barometer

Do You Think Naheed Nenshi Will Win the Alberta NDP Leadership Race?

Take this week's poll