Music Review // Amy Aileen Wood "The Heartening" (Colorfield Records)
Amy Aileen Wood explores the sounds of future jazz on "The Heartening". This album kicks off with a song that has singing but not really any words as vocals. The sax comes in with the percussion and this just feels like a dive into jazz that all the cool cats are taking. This takes us into "Hiccups" which has this walking through the desert vibe to it before the percussion really kicks in and the song begins to just feel oh so funky.
Next up is a smooth, soulful song which has both a flute and sax in it. The percussion comes through as if programmed and that gives this a slight hint of vaporwave as well. I really like how this just feels like it's taking what we know as traditional sound and changing it- making the jazz, for example, more electronic but not fully electronic.
The fourth track drops off into this world like we're floating around on clouds and it just feels ambient. These tones can also come through like Doogie Howser now. By "The Valley" it can feel like we're going into a sitcom, as I see the colorful scenes with big, bright colors. This reminds me a bit of "Pushing Daisies", some sort of visual from that show.
Slower more isolated tones bring in those dramatic strings on "The Valley". This takes us into lighter tones, electricity and just an overall fun feeling on "Time For Everything". This also feels like a fun song because laughing can be heard during it. "Midnight Zone" has various levels of synth, some like a pinball game, and they just bounce around, making for a hectic song. Beeps come through like droids and then it finds this really cool movement.
The electronics with vocals that don't have words return on "Slow Light" and then we're off into that jazz way again. A trill, like purring now, on "My Shadow", and into some serious video game synths. In ways, this reminds me of a knight headed off to battle. It just has that build and that intensity. The percussion takes over with this sort of synthwave feel and the beats just get heavy. The drums play us out as we reach the end of this album.
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