Liam Singer, the Brooklyn-via-Portland multi-instrumentalist/composer, has covered some immense ground since his 2003 debut album The Empty Heart of My Chameleon through this year's Dislocatia. While most third albums find artists burrowing into an established sound or simply feeling out an established ritual, Singer's third full length completely explodes his prior minimalist setup and explores huge, swelling climes with a mini-chamber orchestra and choir at his disposal. With earlier material centered around tiny moves shrouded in nostalgia, Dislocatia practically bursts open with huge sounds and heady, overzealous arrangments composed for both piano and voice. 2010 has been an impressive year for neo-classical artists working within traditional modes of music. If the Bedroom Communities roster are the post-romantics, like Brahms and Rachmoninovs, of 21st century indie-acceptable classical music, then Liam Singer is the Erik Satie of the group, playing wildly conceptual music that never quite loses its emotional resonance.
Liam Singer culls strands of thoughts from archaic musical styles while still working within a pop song structure. Even in his most straight-forward songs melodies that would stand stark and naked on previous releases are fully fleshed out replete with children's choirs and choral arrangments, clanking claviers and aching strings. Singer's vocal contributions, while probably the strongest since The Empty Heart... nonetheless have somewhat diminished in their roles, often differing to Boxharp's Wendy Allen to carry out his most complex vocal lines. While Allen reaches some of the heights Singer's delightfully reedy voice can't, he has also adopted a more rhythmic and rapid pace that muscles out the idea of Singer as some piano-man Elliot Smith. Songs like "Dead Old Friend" evoke a sing-song, chanty-like feel while songs like "Winter Weeds" and "Bellingham, WA and the Four Green Doors Beyond" are familiar, downtrodden territory.
While putting out his most adventerous and experimental material to tape to date, Singer isn't afraid to show his cards when it comes to his musical idols. He name drops Morton Feldman on the album's most obvious tip of the hat to post-modern composers like John Cage and Terry Riley. On the other end of the spectrum his cover of Cat Power's "Cross Bones Style" is an ode to spiritual mentor Chan Marshall's forlorn compositions and melancholy which broods beneath every Singer composition. While flying all over itself, at times, with musical ideas, departures and exuberance, Singer's wheelhouse has grown significantly larger and more polished as it has expanded to include a multitude of other instruments besides his voice and piano. Glowing songs like "Victory Steps" and "Mold Me Torn Fan" hold huge welcome signs into the dusty, angular little cottage of Singer's brain. Welcome home.
Ryan H.
P.S a little on Singer's past he performed with all-time greats Kallikak Family while in San Francisco and his song "One Day" off The Empty Heart of My Chameleon is one of my top favs of all time.
Download "Winter Weeds" courtesy of Hidden Shoal here