SOUNDTRACK: SAINT SISTER-Tiny Desk Concert #863 (July 3, 2019).
The first surprise from Saint Sister is the harp. The second surprise comes when you realize that Saint Sister’s music isn’t going to be traditional harp-centric folk songs.
The third is when Morgan Macintyr speaks after the first song and she has a pretty heavy Irish accent.
It’s a surprise because their voices are angelic and accent-free while they sing their pretty songs.
Saint Sister makes the sort of music I’ve been fascinated with for much of my life, music that mixes the organic with the electronic. In this case, the organic sounds come from that Dusty Strings harp and the harmonies of Gemma Doherty and Morgan Macintyre, with electronics performed on keyboards by Morgan and Dek Hynes, and the mostly digital drums of Shane Gough.
So, yes, even if the harp is the centerpiece (“[when] Gemma Doherty pulled her 34-string lever harp from the band’s vehicle; it seemed bigger than all of us”) the rest of the band fleshes out the harp with waves of synths and percussion.
Causing Trouble” opens with single harp notes and echoing drums. Then Gemma and Morgan start singing and their voices blend beautifully.
You can tell the Irish connection in the lyrics of this song:
We danced from Belfast to the Basin
When you sang, “And it stoned me”
Well it stoned me
“Shape of Silence” is a short instrumental made up of unearthly sounds and voices as Gemma plays a lovely harp melody. It’s about a minute long and segues into “Is It Too Early? (Kilmainham).” They sing in a kind of staccato style (and remind me a bit of Lily & Madeleine here). There’s no much harp in the verses–it’s almost a dance song, but when the synths fade off, the harp returns and sounds even lovelier somehow.
For “The Mater” Dek and Shane leave so it is only Gemma and Morgan. This song is quieter with just the harp and their voices.
Although the melding of harp and electronics is cool, they sound beautiful with just harp and voices.
[READ: July 1, 2019] “The Not-Okay Corral”
The Summer 2019 issue of The West End Phoenix was a special all comics issue with illustrations by Simone Heath. Each story either has one central illustration or is broken up with many pictures (or even done like a comic strip).
Each story is headed by the year that the story takes place–a story from that particular summer.
This story is told in comic book style with panels.
1976: If you are Janet, when you are ten years old, the worst thing about horseback riding camp is the horses. They are massive and muscular and totally in charge.
Much of the camp seemed to be about teaching the horse who was boss. When the kids were told to walk the horses around the ring, that was okay, even if Janet was clearly letting the horse lead. But when they left the ring to return to the paddock, the horse let Janet know who was actually in charge. It stopped following the horse in front of it and stopped to eat some grass. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 