by: Sun-J
From Athens to Omaha. From Warm to Saddle Creek. Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor's journeys metaphorically chronicles through the passion of their music. Often labeled as slow core, the female duo started off one November with an EP of acoustic guitars, and piano before slowly morphing into a full orchestrated sound with trip-hop beats supporting the cornerstone of their brilliance, the marriage of their vocals. Having written songs with Moby and Connor Oberst, their travels and experiences are widely respected. Dropping a fourth album (counting the EP), one thing has never changed about Azure Ray, their vocals always resonate with waves of constructive interference which amplify the dramatic emotion felt in their spine shivering vocals. Their fourth album, Hold on Love combines elements of every album and bares their soul.
"New Resolution" is a subtle hook with creepy bridge and an eerie chorus which manifests strings and electronic layers of filtered vocals, "Move on, move on, it's like the clock is pacing, move on, move on, no, there's nothing changing." "If You Fall" is uncharacteristic of Azure Ray as it is a strangely up beat track with flittering piano keys, and a simplistic electronic effect which masks patent drums and in the end transforming into the haunted trademark of vintage Azure Ray. "The Drink we Drank last Night," is a standout track with powerful lyrics, "If you could see these tears fill in my eyes, It's just the wind that makes me cry, If you could feel this pain inside, It's form the drinks we drank last night." "The Devil's Feet," is an interesting tale of a girl who fought the devil to save her slow. The song also features a mundane piano released from its boredom by the powers of Mike Mogis's digital effects. "Look to Me,? is a powerful song in that the music yields a vicarious cry for help from someone in extreme duress and turmoil. "Sea of Doubts," is also lyrically intense, "The pain I feel inside, that haunts us all that we will die, never really knowing how it feels to be alive. Lastly, "Across the Ocean,? is filled with metaphorical lyricism, "Now I've landed in the Midwest, where you lived so long ago, remember I was always freezing and now I'm covered in snow."
Azure Ray, like most Saddle Creek label groups are cold windy winter nights, and their songs, rank with loneliness, despair and loss are powerful odes to do their emotions justice. Over the past three albums, you will notice that with the fourth and newest album, their sound has grown stronger and more intense, more powerful drums, stronger power chords, and the usual blood boiling lyrics. Azure Ray is perfect Halloween and suicide music, but when those two options are not available, the best place to listen to a CD like this is on a warm sunny day were flowers blossom because the lyrics may leave you permanently scarred...
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