SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LARKK – CINDERS (INSTRUMENTAL)

LARKK
CINDERS (INSTRUMENTAL)
INDEPENDENT/AWAL

Danielle McTaggart is best known as the lead singer of Dear Rouge. But there is another side to her, Larkk. This is McTaggart by herself making peaceful and beautiful music that is so very much needed in today’s world. This is instrumental piano with some keyboard layering for good measure. This is not classical, or ambient, it is music. It is her, a piano and pure emotion. Much like John Foxx has done with his piano/instrumental albums, McTaggart explores very different music than that of her day job. The music on this album is stark, melancholic, brave, melodic, pensive, and all points in between. Above all else, this is honest music.

McTaggart is not afraid of silence, in fact, there is quite a lot of space and silence on this album. This adds a great deal to each song and the overall album. Songs fade in quietly, as if not to intrude and wait for the listener to give them the attention they deserve. “Oceans (reprise),” for example, just slips its way into the listener’s consciousness and the all too short song leaves just as quickly and quietly. While it stays, it is a thing of beauty. And then there are songs, such as “Stars Ain’t Colliding” that start off passive, but very quickly turn on the listener and become not so aggressive but much more vocal, without the aid of vocals.

McTaggart is able to express herself through the piano keys. “Stars Ain’t Colliding” is very much a conversation. A conversation that does not end happily. The album also tells a story, new love gained and lost. The opening songs, “Cinders” and “First Kiss,” convey hope and a celebration of a new day and new opportunities. But, over time, the mood shifts, and “Caverns” and “Devastation’s Bliss” explore the loss of hope and the excitement. Perhaps the loss of a future. The sadness is palpable.

McTaggart has an incredible voice and one that resonates with the music she is presenting, so an instrumental album may come as a surprise. The original album, Cinders, was released in February, and indeed had lyrics and vocals. But one shouldn’t be surprised by this version of the album.. This is a talented artist who knows that certain music belongs in certain homes. Again, like Paul McCartney and his side project The Fireman, she knows that the songs here are not going to find a place on a Dear Rogue record, nor should they. Even the name, Larkk, a clever spelling of a word that has a couple of meanings. The bird one can hear in the morning but also ‘lark’ can mean a joke, or something for fun. She adds an extra ‘k’ and Larkk suddenly lark has a new meaning…stunning music.

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