Mae Karthauser - Atlas
Mae Karthasuer - Atlas |
I've been listening to this album
for a couple of months now. In fact, when this album arrived I wasn't a dad and
now I am so it's been a little while. The reason I haven't got around to
reviewing this is the same reason you buy an amazing pair of shoes and then
don't wear them for months - I've been waiting for the right time, the right
frame of mind to come over to find the words to do this album by Totnes based
Mae Karthauser the justice it so richly deserves. 'Atlas' is an eleven track
from an unsigned artist, that's the bottom line, but the subtext is that
'Atlas' is a collection of stories, observations and personal tales of love and
loss that has been a lifetime in the making. Today is the day, however, when
everything is just right and I might just - just - be able to do this
collection justice.
The album opens with the
unassumingly titled 'Bill', a tale of a man who lives in the woods and is a potentially
misunderstood character told over gentle instrumentation and the soft, inviting
voice of Ms Karthauser. 'Little Weasel' is a forlorn story of wanting to keep a
small rodent but knowing that it really belongs in the wild - the sort of song
that could only be composed by someone who spends a lot of time living in a
caravan in the wilds of Devon (I mean, you wouldn't get this from Rhianna or
Usher, would you?). On 'Nancy' you are immediately transported in to the
unwritten sequel to Amelie with French inspired melodies and gentle, delicate
structures that dance around like the last beams of sunlight as night falls.
The owl hoots that herald 'Your Name (The Guns)' are a fantastically clever
device that set the song firmly in the night time as the organs nudge the
melody along subtly until the addition of more voices forces the song to grow,
swell and take on a stronger form.
Mae Karthauser - the performer |
Karthauser's style is so finely
honed and gentile that you'd be forgiven for taking her for a flimsy, soft
touch but there is a sharp edge to her mind which, sometimes, gets brandished
via her words. 'One Animal' could be mistaken for another song about country
wildlife but there is a sharp undercurrent in the words "I don't know one
animal who pays to live in England, tell me how we would implement that? Those
poor sods ain't got money" which hits at the heart of the immigration
phobic mob mentality. The music is so wonderfully theatrical with clunks,
whirrs and a sinister fairground melody that says 'get too close and I you
might get burnt by the light'. The East European influence of the piano melody
on 'The Persian Boy' is an absolute delight to behold as Karthauser sings of
the loss of her cat while 'The Last Turn' opens with some seductive, siren-like
vocal harmonies that drift out over the coast to soothe the tortured souls of
sailors and fishermen alike.
The real source of talent here is
that these songs feel almost timeless, like they could have been created at any
point in the last 100 years, but the relevance is still there at the heart of
the art which draws you closer and closer with every track. The piano on 'My
Old Compass', for example, was surely locked in an attic for years until it was
wheeled out for this very purposed. 'Hoops Of Fire' is a gypsy tune of sinister
delights that create mischief for all to revel in during the night but be
warned, your soul might not make it to daybreak. Towards the end we have
'Georgia And The Tiger', which takes on the form of a soft, butterfly-like tune
gently flitting around in the sunlight but occasionally it comes too close to
your face and startles you causing that rush of adrenalin to your head and
heart. The album finishes on 'reprise' which is the soft, heartfelt goodbye you
say to your loved one on a train platform before what you know will be a long
parting.
I've purposefully kept this away
from comparisons as Karthauser is so genuinely unique (and uniquely genuine)
that it seems fairly futile as an exercise. What I would say is that if this
music can get to the right ears and Karthauser can get on the right stages then
this could be the kind of album will eventually become one of those must haves.
Then again, I don't think that's the plan so as long as Mae Karthauser is happy
and occasionally able to put out an album of this quality then all is well with
the world.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/maeandthemidnightfairground?fref=ts