Labyrinth. Heather Woods Broderick

On her latest, fourth, solo album Heather Woods Broderick presents intimate music. Music that is inline with many bands of the last decade. Dreamy, hovering singing and indirect. On the other hand she is not afraid to be present as well. Instruments and effects are prominently mixed and not as it were the wallpaper behind the singer. Listen to 'I Want To Go' and you will get the picture. Broderick has totally her own take on dreampop.

In this mix she is not afraid to incorporate electronic rhythms that are the main part of a song. This makes her music modern in sound without losing herself in modernity. She is very much a singer-songwriter, just do not expect an acoustic guitar playing intricate patterns over and over. Just listen to how subtle single 'Admiration' plays out over the slow beats and rhythmic sounds. Just beats and a synth accompany the singing until circa half way other instruments come in setting the song on fire as it were.

You will find this approach more often on Labyrinth, making it what this album is. An amalgam of modern sounds and traditional songwriting. Over the music Broderick sings with a dreamy voice, better: voices, as she at times is all over the place vocally, but always dreamy.

Heather Woods Broderick is from Maine but lives in LA, with many years in Oregon in between, where she was a feature in the local music scene, collaborating on different albums and playing in touring bands, e.g. of Sharon van Etten. Around these projects she releases her own music with Labyrinth as the latest expression.

In a song like 'Tiny Receptors' she is almost as esoteric sounding as Josephine Foster. The song shows what Heather Woods Broderick sounds like in her living room, all alone with her guitar, although in an interlude, solo would not describe it in a correct way, weird sounds are allowed in. The singing stops abruptedly, adding to the mysterious atmosphere of the song.

Electronic beats take over, announcing the next song. 'Blood Run Through Me'. If there is a formula behind Broderick's music, it is that from tranquil she always moves to a more eclectic part of her songs. Of course, this is relative with the dreamy kind of music that fills Labyrinth. On top of the music her dreamy voice, with enough "bathroom" on it, is always on top of the music. Heather Woods Broderick is central on her album, as she's allowed to be.

Admittedly, when listening to the whole album by the time I reach 'Blood Run Through Me' I have heard enough. When I play the song stand alone, it is as impressive as most of the other songs are. So despite Labyrinth being near the edge of my musical tastes, the album lands really well. A nice discovery it is.

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order Labyrinth here:

https://heatherwoodsbroderick.bandcamp.com/album/labyrinth