Pith (KLP239) by Emily Beanblossom
Anyone who has seen Emily Beanblossom perform has surely left entirely taken with her. As the lead singer of Christmas, a band whose unique style of psych rock made them a cult marvel, Emily sold out both shows and records, due in no small part to her captivating, cultivated persona and the rare power of her voice. A vagabond for our ilk, she has lived life on the road and in collaborations, drifting down the line until she was called back to her family farm outside Chicago, Ill. Here she paused to lay down the hollowed noise that would become Ruby Fray. Her premier album Pith (KLP239) is a string of musical gems that range from harmonic americana and folk to shadowy psychedelia, united in their spectral chamber arrangements.
Each of the twelve tracks on Pith come from demos Emily has been keeping close, and showcase her varieties of influence. "And the Moon," with its steady drum machine loop, eerie harmonies and mandolin strings stands apart from its follower, "Mint Ice Cream," a playful Americana-style duet with Calvin Johnson. "Closed Eye" is the same, a drifting melody punctuated by tinny drums and fuzzy guitar strumming. But this is the beauty of Pith-like the single, "Let's Grow Older," it gambols, and then falls to despair and questioning, is both the blossom and the thorny edge. Ruby Fray is a dark star risen, and the power and soul of Emily's voice changes all that it shines upon. Pith includes the talents of numerous Pacific Northwest masterminds: producer & engineer Ben Hargett (who recorded the Christmas LP), songwriting and production assistant Ian Van Veen (Legs The Crab, Georgy), and harmony/strings specialist Giselle Garcia. As per K / Dub Narcotic tradition, a number of artists from the K roster also play on Pith, including Arrington de Dionyso, Gordon Baker (Mailaikat dan Singa, Desolation Wilderness), Andrew Dorsett (LAKE, Desolation Wilderness), Angelo Spencer, Markly Morrison (LAKE), Jake Jones (Christmas), and Calvin Johnson.
"Quite honestly her vocals are so beautiful, you almost feel they're being wasted on a raw punk band like Christmas. But then again Christmas is a classic punk band without a lot of nonsense and it's Beanblossom's vocals that make they're music special." -- Secretly Important, October 2011
Tracklist
| 1. | And The Moon | 2:57 |
| 2. | Mint Ice Cream | 4:07 |
| 3. | Closed Eye | 3:39 |
| 4. | What's All This Talk | 3:01 |
| 5. | Northern Washington | 5:20 |
| 6. | Young Scholar | 3:19 |
| 7. | Let's Grow Older | 3:15 |
| 8. | Jandk | 3:35 |
| 9. | Penny | 4:10 |
| 10. | Ohow | 3:06 |
| 11. | Barren Hill | 3:08 |
| 12. | Wilt Worker | 4:19 |
