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Christine Fellows - Paper Anniversary |
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01 August 2005 |
Christine Fellows Paper Anniversary - (Six Shooter)  Good things come to those who wait, I guess. Paper Anniversary, Fellows' first CD since 2001's Last One Standing, comes on slow and thoughtful and before long you find yourself seriously haunted by these true life-styled tales. This is the kind of ethereal music often celebrated by indie pop culture, but few can compare to what we have here. Paper Anniversary is a collection of memories for the most part, with Fellows' characters delivering an emotional center that often gets overlooked by her contemporaries. Take the charge of "Double Takes", for example, where the reminiscing over meeting in an emergency ward (to have their stomachs pumped) accepts a "lot" in life - as Fellows sings, "I don't think life just happens to you. More likely in spite of you. It's a marvelous thing". Fellows expertly "humanizes" her characters. "Phantom Pains", the track closest to a more traditional pop structure, is a highlight here thanks to (again) Fellows genuine heart-felt delivery but also owes a lot to the gentle arrangement here - a simple melody on the piano over a shuffle-type beat. Paper Anniversary is remarkable sensitive to its themes musically. The pulsating urgency of "Souvenirs" is perhaps one of the more standout examples of the near-perfect musical choices here, with its pounding piano working with a chorus that you'll sing along with in short order. Fellows is not only credited with keyboards, but with things like "loops" and "field recordings" - waves on a shore, horses trotting, that sort of thing. Yes, it's a fixation on "nature" to be sure (the future may hold a compilation called Christine Fellows: Songs With Birds In Them), and it brings a lot to interludes like "Road Trips" and "We Two". Much of the standout actual playing here can be attributed to cellist Leanne Zacharias, whose instrument plays a remarkably active part in Paper Anniversary - even closing it with her arrangement on "Afterword". Sounds like pretty "heady" stuff, doesn't it? Well, it is. But another part of Paper Anniversary's appeal is its honesty. No, it doesn't "rock out", but it doesn't exhibit any sort of snobbery about the fact. This is a large part of the appeal here. Never mind the fact that we may know people just like those in Fellows' songs - it's the appreciation that she's giving us something "real" (, man) that makes Paper Anniversary even more appealing than it already is. Definitely one of the best CDs yet this year, Paper Anniversary with its subtle dramas and musical aptitude should definitely brings more listeners Fellows' way. Enjoy the ride.
8.5
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