Jennifer Walton's First Album "Daughters" Explores Grief and Style
In this song "Miss America", audiences find themselves in a hotel room close to JFK airport, as the musician receives a devastating news of her father's illness diagnosis. The UK-raised artist had been touring America on her initial visit, playing alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, when suddenly grief casts a shadow, tinging everything in grey. Faltering piano and hushed strings underscore dark dispatches emanating from the tour van: "Rural scenes and crumbling homes / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Her soft vocals are delivered with a flat style, while the record's intensity stems from the keen penmanship—blending stories, traditional phrases, and blunt diary entries—coupled with unexpected maximalism. Not many tracks recently showcase stronger storytelling style compared to "Shelly", which depicts the killing of an animal and descends into a fuel-soaked confrontation, evoking literary works illuminated by flickers of warped cello. Tense, subdued verses with echoing, plucked guitar transition into expansive refrains, and her voice electronically altered into a presence all-knowing and menacing.
Audiences might previously be familiar with the artist from her work as an electronic producer, DJ, and contributor in groups such as Caroline. The album's musical twists reflect this varied background. The first track "Sometimes" erupts in fanfare, as if a string band caught unawares, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically increases the tempo via a punishing, stunning, repeating drum fill. Thick walls of sound, skillfully produced with a longtime collaborator, seem both gnarly and ethereal, while her morbid, enchanted thoughts culminate on standout "Lambs", a song that briefly becomes a twirling jig. "May your life never end in death," Walton bargains, with heart-aching dark comedy.
