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Kathleen Yearwood : Little Misery Birds (CAN,1996-1997)****
Kathleen Yearwood does not limit herself within the usual territories of singer-songwriting, which usually range from pop or rock to folk. I heard her sing with much more aggressive styles which many singer-songwriters usually prone to. Her group Ordeal for instance sounds like a structured improvisational metal group (with a metal drummer). Not easy for me. This release is much more acoustic and accessible, but still with an aproach wider than expected from "a singer-songwriter release". She shows here her broadend scope expressions, even when amplified acoustic guitar and voice which makes most of the fundamental arrangements. Kathleen studied experimental music and tape composition at the McGill University in Montreal. She has published some literature too. Her music here is taking you away, then confronts you. She uses a wide range of vocal expression, with sudden voice arrangements, once even choir like, then surprises again with some guitar and guitar noise-blues-driven improvisational challenging experiments still with a natural logic or feel, creating for the listener an attention that does not makes it easy to grab in one listen, what really happens there. On the 11th track "Song with chorus" she uses her voice almost like an additional amplified semi-acoustic guitar string. Especially here she proves to be an interesting composer. Second part sounds like a tape-remixed John Cage-like prepared string-instrument piece. Then she ends ends this piece with a female sensitivity in her song ending.
A recommended release to those who are open to some avant-garde compositional aspects, within a singer-songwriting release.
(-from all her works of contrasting nature/personality this might still be the most accessible release I have heard from her.-)
