The quietly intense music of this Toronto-based artist has been described as "minimalist holy blues" and "experimental folk." Her second collection of songs were written and recorded at home in the winter and early spring of 2021 during the pandemic.
Aside from singing and playing electric guitar, Engel also makes use of an intriguing range of instrumentation: cigar box guitar, guitar, shruti box, found percussion (wooden trunk played with soft mallets), tongue drum, chromonica and gusli. Guest musicians add to the sonic palette without imposing on the unhurried atmosphere she creates.
The lilting ambient textures and dreamy vocals make for a soothing set of six songs with impressionistic lyrics where the imagery seems far removed from urban settings. In the opening tune, Yesterday We Lived Forever, she is “looking for a little joy tonight or a hole in space and time.”
Much of the poetic wordplay appears to be the result of long silent reflections on nature with close attention being paid to changes of light and seasonal shifts. Engel immerses herself in her surroundings to the point of wishing to detach herself from everyday concerns. In Pomegranate Seeds, for instance, she sings: “light eats through time, eats through me, I'd like to lose my way forever.” She refers to her voice as an ”offering” in Flame Tree Sings
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A cold chapel in Heart of Rags and the ”nuclear poisoned earth” of Silver Scythe suggest a desire for a spiritual connection with the world while also imagining a blighted post-apocalyptic landscape. These songs connect with themes of two documentary films ‘The Departure’ by Lana Wilson and ‘The Babushkas of Chernobyl’, which Clara Engel cites among her influences.
Within this context, light becomes a key symbol of sustenance and wellbeing to underpin the meditative calm of this absorbing album.
Hear ‘Dressed in Borrowed Light’ on Bandcamp
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