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Allysen Callery : Hopey (US,2007)****
The first song I heard from Allysen Callery was “Pea Green Boat”. I thought it was produced wonderfully with its subtle sound arrangements. Allysen explained to me that this was the splendid work of Myles Baer (of Black Hole Sound Studios), who also produced Marissa Nadler on her first album amongst other people. Allysen confirmed “he has the ability to see inside one's secret heart & do perfect production! He used Hammond organ and theremin on “Pea Green Boat”. For me it seems like he reinvented a perfect environment for the song. She explained to me there are also Peeptoads (!) tree toads on a couple tracks, in the background, as she had been recorded some of the time in a glass studio, in the woods (I assume this is on the “Feathercap” track).
On “Slo Slo-Mo” I also hear some subtle slide guitar touches. Most songs are just with well played fingerpicking guitar, and are sung with a nicely sounding voice.
The lyrics are conscious with gentle analyses of the environmental appearances and reactions of people, also on stage, or recalling moments to remember within a love affair, to nourish with caring remembrance under the form as songs, or more likely as things she wanted to tell, but couldn’t at the moment, and that made it to songs.
