Phased by the luxurious song lengths on Emily Masson’s latest studio affair, she continued to prove to me that I was wrong. One song after the other, Masson proves that longer songs can still be exciting and perky, and that there’s a lot more that can probe our attention spans than accessible song lengths and poppy production cues.
Born and raised in Indiana, Emily Masson is a singer and songwriter who is now based in the tucked-away haven of Telluride, Colorado, deep in the Rockies. Her sound on her latest full-length release, an album called ‘Lost At Home’ , is curious and earthen, and is of pure country folk tendencies, spun with a very memorable style to the production, the singing, and the arrangements.
Clocking in at a little over one hour in length, the album’s songs have generous lifespans. And with exceedingly simple compositions, and seemingly minimal arrangements, it is a master’s trick to get a song like the 8-minute long ‘her every way’ to be as grabbing and as compelling as it is. The trick lies in part in Masson’s clever lyricisms, in part in her peculiar deliveries and minimal melodies, more often than not used to instill a sense of hypnosis that makes the songs fly by, and in part in the quite warn and rich sounding production on the songs.
Masson’s delivery is mostly very laidback. I’d call it lazy if it wasn’t for her continuous, impressionistic and intense vibrato which she imbues almost every line with. The result is expressive vocal deliveries throughout the album. Put that with Masson’s thoughtful lyrics that speak mostly of social commentary on modern lives and daily occurrences, inspired by her being an American woman and mother. Standouts on the album are the terrific starter. The titular track, the first song introduces us to Masson’s empathetic singing style, her sharp commentaries, and her incredibly pulling songwriting. This cut, mostly revolving around 4 chords, will not be breaking any compositional records anytime soon, but it’s what Masson manages to achieve with the few elements that sets her art apart. The following cut, ‘spiraling up’, also stands out. With the gently phased rhythm guitar and soulful fret less bass in the intro, the song’s low-medium tempo and heartfelt chorus, with a driving, hypnotic bass riff, the song is simply one of album’s more memorable ones.
Mike Beck’s gentle drums and Rob Jones’s spine-tingling electric guitar rhythms are in full drive on ‘her every way’. The chorus guitar melody is an absolute ear worm. 8 minutes long and with nearly imperceptible changes in melodies and harmonies, this song never for one moment felt boring. Masterful. Cuts that break the mold like ‘broken shells’ and ‘why not ask why’, with the spoken delivery of the former, and the gentle rocking personality of the latter, are ones that provide the album with a needed sense of variety. And with the character of Masson pervasive, her country-tinged compositions in full swing, and her lyrics as sharp as ever, the two songs’ left-field vibes never feel too far removed from what the rest of the album feels like.
With more stand-out parts, like the manic snares of ‘watchu du’, and the latin rock viscera that flows in ‘our eyes are wide’, the album remains compelling and entertaining from its first moment to its last. To be continuing to offer interesting musical and lyrical ideas, almost one hour into an album, is a hallmark of a truly exceptional songwriter, and Emily Masson is simply exceptional indeed.
