Honey From The Tombs (Limited Edition) [Digipak] - Amy Millan

Anyone with more than a cursory knowledge of the contemporary Canadian music scene will have heard of Amy Millan before, although those who don't recognise her name may have encountered her vocals from her collaborations with the likes of Broken Social Scene and Stars. Together with Metric, the bands formed something of a holy trinity among the Canadian scene, carving out both a niche and a name for themselves over the past few years.

...however, and despite the gothic-looking CD cover artwork, can best be described as the sort of mash-up you'd get if Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval got stuck into bluegrass. Scratch below the surface, though, and there's something wonderful stirring underneath in the form of laid back alt-country ditties, ones that flow along so nicely that they'll no doubt appeal to many that would otherwise be put off by such labels. The alt- crowd should be enthralled ... more

Anyone with more than a cursory knowledge of the contemporary Canadian music scene will have heard of Amy Millan before, although those who don't recognise her name may have encountered her vocals from her collaborations with the likes of Broken Social Scene and Stars. Together with Metric, the bands formed something of a holy trinity among the Canadian scene, carving out both a niche and a name for themselves over the past few years.

"Honey From The Tombs" is Amy's first solo venture, however, and despite the gothic-looking CD cover artwork, can best be described as the sort of mash-up you'd get if Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval got stuck into bluegrass. Scratch below the surface, though, and there's something wonderful stirring underneath in the form of laid back alt-country ditties, ones that flow along so nicely that they'll no doubt appeal to many that would otherwise be put off by such labels. The alt- crowd should be enthralled by this album, however. Any feelings of melancholy are dispelled half-way through the CD, though, since Amy shakes up things just when you're getting comfortable: just one of many surprises found in this album.

I was quite surprised just how good this CD was, being put onto "repeat" several times after purchase. If you liked her work with Broken Social Scene or Stars, though, you might be disconcerted by the complete sea-change in musical style - personally, I love it.

Twelve tracks feature on the digi-pack version of the CD, as follows:

01. Losin' You
02. Skinny Boy
03. Ruby II
04. Baby I
05. Headsfull
06. Wayward And Parliament
07. Hardhearted (Ode To Thoreau)
08. Blue In Yr Eye
09. Come Home Loaded Roadie
10. All The Miles
11. He Brings Out The Whiskey In Me
12. Pour Me Up Another

"Your eyes are like burned out headlights" - so kicks off "Losin' You", which ostensibly sets the tone of the album. It is fairly short in length (just over two minutes) but enchants, captivates and entertains in equal measure, partly due to a beautifully rendered chorus that showcases Amy's undoubted vocal talents. There's a gorgeous acoustic guitar playing away in the not-so background, but it adds to rather than detracts from her performance - and the hook is so wonderfully delivered that it's hard to fault.

"And you've got lips I could spend a day with" - the most memorable line from "Skinny Boy", possibly the only song on the album that anyone not familiar with Amy Millan's work might have heard already. Her vocals change from seductive and soft to breathy, Hope Sandoval-esque here, a counterpoint to the busier accompaniment - there's a lot going on in the background and it comes to the fore in a blowsy, almost cluttered way towards the end of the song. The slightly more ethereal sounding voice belies the darker lyrics, though - despite the overall mood, there's a deeper, darker world running in parallel.

"Whole lot of whiskey, wine and propane" - there's something of a multi-layered vocal going on during "Ruby II", a delightful little piece that flows along effortlessly - although the only drawback is that it's merely 1:42 long. There's a lot packed into that, though, so much so that you're almost losing track of time along the way. Amy's voice becomes even more enchanting and sweet, if that's possible, and the bluegrass guitar provides an effective backdrop - nothing else is really required for success. This would be my favourite song on the album if it wasn't for "Headsfull".

"Sometimes I feel like my only friend is a whiskey glass" - following on from the previous track, the same winning formula is applied to "Baby I", although there's a little more in the way of percussion and the chorus provides Amy with a chance to stretch herself more. Said chorus is one of those that you're bound to conjure up at an unsuspecting hour, it's that mellow yet pervading. A simple yet effective song, and one of the best songs on the CD.

"There's cash stashed up in the hills, a flood of mud and dollar bills" - "Headsfull" definitely wakes you up despite its sub-two minutes running time. As with "Ruby II", there's a hell of a lot packed into its short span, yet this time a rocking, rolling stomp provides an enjoyable background to Amy's more raucous vocals. Said stomp, however, including an acoustic guitar that provides a deceptive preamble - but when the drums and bass kick in you're in for a short but memorable ride. I defy anyone to listen to this more than three times without trying to accompany her themselves, or wonder at the bizarre imagery contained in the lyrics.

"Man made moons they go out one by one" - the tempo is dialled right back down somewhat at the beginning of "Wayward and Parliament", and the first minute or so sounds like alt-country - then it's almost as if Portishead were given the keys to the instrument locker for the chorus as there's all manner of clashing and crashing trumpets, bass and drums - leaving you scratching your head somewhat and wondering in which direction the song is going to head off in next. Odd, but eventually enjoyable in a curious way.

"I feel as lucky as a horseshoe on the door" - given the rip-roaring banjo intro on "Blue In Yr Eye", you might be forgiven for thinking it had been lifted from one of those bluegrass compilations from artists you've never heard of, and won't ever again. The song was amazingly recorded around just one microphone, giving it an old-time, lo-fi charm, whilst the accompaniment from banjo, acoustic guitar and banjo fairly belts along alternatively in the background and the foreground - you can just imagine them jockeying for position around that single microphone stand. An impressive piece of work and again, almost my favourite but for "Headsfull".

Being a digi-pack, the lyrics sheet is tucked away inside the front cover, and there's a couple of photographs on it too.

"Honey From The Tombs" is an impressive solo debut from someone whose been noted for her collaboration work - this must have been somewhat frustrating at times since it took three years and three separate studios to complete. It's a hard act to follow but I'm confident Amy Millan will be back with more of the same. If you're daring enough to give another genre a go, you could do a lot worse than introduce yourself to the delights of alt-country via this album.

Recommended to the house.... 

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