Sarah MacDougall - Grand Canyon

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 12 / 8 / 2015

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Review

Now based in Canada, Sarah MacDougall has, throughout her previous albums, always thrown a longing backwards glance at the town she left in Sweden, her mother country. On ‘Grand Canyon’, her third album, MacDougall takes this a step further by singing the whole song about her birthplace in Swedish. Given that even most major Swedish artists sing in English these days it was a brave move and makes ‘Malmö I Mitt Hjärta’ even more effective. Reflecting on the streets where she grew up, which will always hold a place in her heart, the song will resonate with anyone who has spent time there. But even if the lyrics mean nothing to you the soundscape (and 'Grand Canyon' is an album in which MacDougall takes those atmospheric touches she displayed on her previous work to create full-blown pieces of art) that MacDougall and co- producer Caleb Stull create is nothing short of breathtaking. The moodiness of the opening instrumental section immediately evokes a feeling of loss and longing, the string section and repetitive percussion adding greatly to the overall atmosphere of the song as much as MacDougall’s expressive vocals. With just eight songs on ‘Grand Canyon’, it’s surprising and an indication to the talent of Sarah MacDougall that the song that the majority of listeners won’t understand lyrically is probably the most affecting. With a fuller sound than MacDougall has exhibited before and with less of the acoustic-based folk leanings that originally won our hearts, MacDougall has expanded her boundaries and by doing so has opened up her music to a much wider audience than before. There’s an unexpected twist to some of these songs. While MacDougall has always shown that she can mix together the more thoughtful side of traditional singer-songwriter fare with unexpected beats and sing-a-long segments on ‘Grand Canyon’, she has also taken this to new levels. The album opens with another song where MacDougall looks back on her hometown again, but this time the song was inspired by the anti-immigrant shootings that took place in Malmö in 2009/2010. ‘I Want to See the Light (Lost from Our Eyes)’ is, appropriately, a chilling piece both lyrically and musically. “There’s a killer on the loose/He’s only shooting dark-haired people/Could be aiming right at you”, coming from MacDougall’s distinctive, breathy vocals is particularly unsettling, and the haunting atmosphere that MacDougall and Stull have captured, that also dominates a major part of this album, just adds to the overall feeling of uneasiness. Again it is a brave move by MacDougall to open the album with such a disturbing subject but one that works because of the way the song has been arranged and produced. ‘Sparrowhead’ finds MacDougall moving her attention to her adopted land, the driving percussion once again underpinning a pretty melody and MacDougall’s emotive vocals really shining through. With attractive sounds floating around her beguiling vocals, it’s one of those songs you instantly fall in love with. The title track is another bouncy, intelligent pop song with an addictive chorus. As in the past MacDougall has a talent for writing lines that make the listener want to sing along with and ‘Grand Canyon’ is the perfect example of this. With chiming guitars and the percussion once again to the fore playing an essential part of the sound and appeal of this song, this has to rate as one of MacDougall’s most appealing songs to date. ‘The Story of Pippa and Lionheart’ is another upbeat number and, although it name checks Superman, Robocop as well as the titular characters, there’s a feeling that the verses are less lighthearted and reveal a little of how MacDougall feels at times. ‘Baby It’s Only Rock n’ Roll’ is possibly the prettiest song MacDougall has yet recorded, a lyric about not giving up, the line “so stand in the rain to wash your dreams” just one indication of how talented MacDougall is at creating little couplets that are so vivid. The way the strings bring the song to its close is an inspired move. ‘2012’ closes the album, providing another pounding beat, another attractive melody and another outstanding vocal performance from MacDougall. Dropping the F-word into the last chorus kind of throws you, the last time that word was used so effectively in a song was probably in Aimee Mann’s ‘(Believed You Were) Lucky’ and that was a good few years ago. The rousing vocals at the end of the song once again indicate that MacDougall knows her craft. There isn’t a song on ‘Grand Canyon’ that doesn’t twist and turn without losing the thread. On reviewing MacDougall’s last album, ‘The Greatest Ones Alive’, we stated that it was her best work to date. I’m pleased we wrote "to date". ‘Grand Canyon’, without a doubt now takes that accolade. While ‘Grand Canyon’ certainly visits some dark places, there’s more than a shard of light breaking through even when MacDougall is addressing serious matters. Superbly written, played and produced, ‘Grand Canyon’ is the highlight of an already impressive career.

Track Listing:-

1 I Want to See the Light (Lost from
2 Sparrowhead
3 Malmö I Mitt Hjärta
4 Grand Canyon
5 The Story of Pippi and Lionheart
6 Baby, It's Only Rock 'n' Roll
7 Devil's Gap
8 2012

Band Links:-

https://twitter.com/sarahmacdougall?la
http://sarahmacdougall.com/
https://www.facebook.com/sarahmacdouga