Erica Mou, Circlesreview of the singer-songwriter's new album.
Heather Mouwith the new album Circlescontinues his artistic journey, managing to tell his story through meticulous attention to detail, images and moments.
Throughout the album you can perceive a refined search for assonances, metaphors and sounds that capture and link every moment.
The tracklist is divided into eleven songs, all written by Heather Mouwhich follow one another and complement each other.
The album is made up of many concentric circles, sometimes interconnected, which accompany the listener on a sonic journey. It is an artistic project outside the box, which brings together all the natural and physical elements, using them as expressive tools for a detailed narrative: darkness, universe, light, deep space, mud, sky, stars, sand, wind, waves, fire and time.
The album can be divided into four large thematic sections: awareness, the desire for freedom and movement, reflection and awareness.
ERICA MOU – CIRCLES – AWARENESS
In Mother, Heather Mou she sings about her relationship with her mother in an original way, accompanied by a refined sound.
The delicacy and strength of Nettle hands are contained in these two incisive verses: “If I hugged you I would hurt you / Nettle hands on a life jacket.”
Sediments
“Where are you, where are you going?
If you don't leave you'll never arrive
You know you can, but what do you want?
If you don't even know what you want
Between me, between you, between us, betrayals
On me, on you, on us, sediments
If you forget who you are.”
THE DESIRE FOR FREEDOM AND MOVEMENT
Tagadà, clowns, apple eaten by the caterpillar, target jar and cotton candy are the elements of The feast of the sainta song which, thanks to the rhythmic choir, accompanies the village procession with a very detailed and descriptive text. It's impossible to stay still: you end up beating the clock.
In Accomplicesa rhythmic crescendo keeps you suspended waiting for the turning point, full of ephemeral metaphors that enrich the text and which ends in a brilliant and unexpected way:
“We are as fast as accomplices to a crime
Running away as if they were chasing us
I waited for you with the engine running all my life
Loot was the future.”
ERICA MOU – THE REFLECTION
Is it better to face the situations or postpone the confrontation? Heather Mou explore this theme in Talking to dogs:
“I wish I had told you much earlier
But some words get stuck
It's easier to put it off, put it off, put it off
And then go elsewhere.”
In The standard bearerthe artist describes the passage of the seasons from autumn to winter, a song to listen to in front of a fireplace, sipping a sweet herbal tea and observing the time pass by the window.
“The smell of orange
It stays under the nail
Packages with fragile written on them
The imprint of a kiss on the glass.”
The elements of life are protagonists in Genesis (“loving the wind is madness” And “life is a fire”) and in Little life:
“When you sleep I will protect you
There's nothing anyone really knows.”
THE RISING OF AWARENESS THAT CLOSES THE CIRCLE
The last two tracks, Mute And Song for the me that wasare to be listened to carefully and are almost imperceptibly linked to Mother.
Circles it is a concept album capable of telling and telling itself through clear and well-defined images. The strength of the project lies in the ability to Heather Mou to create “anomalous” atmospheres, supported by a precise harmonic and instrumental base, careful to enhance every word which, in every song, does not go unnoticed.
ERICA MOU – CIRCLES – TRACKLIST
- Mother
- Nettle hands
- Sediments
- The feast of the saint
- Accomplices
- Talking to dogs
- The standard bearer
- Genesis
- Little life
- Mute
- Song for the me that was
Among all the songs on the album, the ones that stand out are The feast of the saint, Accomplices And Talking to dogs.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
