Born from the Godspeedian scene that has come to musically define
Montréal, Elizabeth Anka Vajagic is a songsmith tapping a similar vein
to the likes of Shannon Wright and Thalia Zedek, authoring dark,
staggering, emphatic, emotionally-roused tunes that make like mantra-ish
takes on modern blues. And Vajagic has the modern blues bad; her
lurching laments are despondent depictions of the urban condition, drunken
waltzes staggering through the disused amusement parks, rundown
industrial zones, and abandoned trainyards that litter the geography of
the whole GY!BE/ASMZ world. Many members of the sprawling Constellation
famille are here to help Vajagic render such sombre cityscapes, the
songwriter painting her portraits of post-industrial landscapes in
wholly gothic shades, her modern blues bleeding from such bluey hues
into smoggy greys and desolate blacks. This bleakness is a palette
known well by Godspeeders Efrim and Beckie, who're on hand to give "And
the Sky Lay Still" that epic GY!BE touch, arcing fast-strumming
delay-draped guitars up high into the night sky as the song escalates
from whisper-quiet to fireworks of fortissimo. Along with Sam Shalabi,
the Godspeed! pair are the most notable folk on the rundown of guests,
but, whilst such known names amongst the various helping-hands are nice,
the humans behind the added dangling guitars and scraping strings may as
well remain anon, for this disc is defined by Vajagic's aesthetic,
persona, and voice. Her deep, doleful, gloomy vocals are a key part in
the album's mournful audio milieu, and, whilst Shannon Wright and Thalia
Zedek are the right contemporary comparatives for her, it's clear that
Vajagic's singing comes under the influence of Patti Smith, the young
songsmith pulling deep sentiments from deep in her guts, such coming out
in guttural wails and throaty caterwauls that reverberate throughout her
barren musical environs.
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