Micah Erenberg - Art Week: Live From The Secret Beach

  by Nicky Crewe

published: 25 / 6 / 2020

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Review

Micah Erenberg hails from Matlock, Manitoba. He should have been touring Europe to promote his new album, 'Art Week', but life and COVID 19 intervened. He had also intended to release this new album of songs over the year, but he has changed plans and decided to release the whole album, available free, for the duration of the pandemic. We are all getting used to sofas and living rooms, tip boxes and Patreon, as musicians find ways of sharing their music, new and old, via streaming platforms and online performances. For most creative people, it isn’t just about the money, essential as that is. They share an urge to get their music or their work out there and connect with their audiences. Micah Erenberg is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist and songwriter and this is a follow-up to his 2019 album 'Love is Going to Find You'. Discussing this release, he says, "With a focus on authenticity and easy access, we recorded the audio and video to analog tape and are offering the album for free/pwyc." Talking about the film that accompanies the album, he writes, "I wanted to capture some of the fun from the shows and put some new music out too." The film is much more than a static camera set up in a recording studio. It captures the mood of snowy Canadian streets and the fun of recording with friends in a cosy lo-fi studio. It reminds me of the small and intimate live gigs I miss so much in lockdown, and makes me hopeful that Micah will make it to Europe one day and that I’ll get to see him. There’s a mix of old and new songs on the film, and a great time lapse record of the painting of a mural on the ceiling of the Secret Beach Studio by artist friend David Syrnick. Listening to his songs, all new to me, it’s amazing how the lyrics seem to say so much about these Coronavirus times. There’s such a sense of self-reflection, such a desire to be your best self in songs like 'Song for My Sister' and 'I’m Losing Sight of Myself'. There’s optimism in 'Love is Going to Find You'. So many of his lyrics relate to isolation, altered plans, changing habits and prioritising. It seems uncanny that this was all ready to go before the pandemic, and yet it shouldn’t be surprising. Songwriters have always been able to express something that resonates with the listener, and like any good wordsmiths, their thoughts and feelings can be interpreted in different ways in different days. Much of the music is simple and acoustic and Micah has a lovely voice. Intriguingly there are flashes of very different influences too when the band join in. 'Chicken Town' has a Velvet Underground feel, and 'Do It For Love' has a hint of Wayne Coyne and the Flaming Lips, which seems contradictory given the deliberately unpolished production. I was also reminded of early Jonathan Richman songs. 'The Hardest Thing to Say', the last track on the album, is darker and more distressed than the rest. Micah Erenberg writes songs that are personal and honest without being complaining, self-indulgent and over melancholy. It’s a great way to look at the world while it is shifting and changing all around us.

Track Listing:-

1 Song for My Sister
2 I'm Losing Sight of Myself
3 I Promise You
4 Why I Get By For Cheap
5 Chicken Town
6 Do it for Love
7 Love is Gonna Find You
8 Satisfied Mind
9 The Hardest Thing to Say