Gabrielle Papillon
The Tempest of Old
(Independent)
4/5
Just as The Civil Wars’ self-titled album gave me a taste for their rendition of the country genre, Garbrielle Papillon’s fifth album, The Tempest of Old, became an exception for my disinterest in indie rock.
With haunting beats, banjos, and a wicked fiddle, the first track, “Got You Well” sets the bar. The atmosphere transports your imagination knee deep into the mud of a stormy bog.
Throughout the album, the gang vocals send chills down the spine, without losing Papillon in the thunder of it. Her voice has an elusive quality, but she’s not free floating. The vocals are naturally tied to the rhythmic orchestra’s crescendos and falls.
My pet peeve is bad lyrics, but the album was in no danger of that. Each song flowed seamlessly into the next chapter of a relationship’s beginning, turbulence, bitter breakup, and then the emotional strength found in the aftermath.
At the point of loss, the lyrics strengthen the feelings of acceptance, faith, and wisdom, all the while defying bitterness and cynicism.