My usual tipple of choice while writing a review would be a nice, cold can of Tennants, most likely while working off some form of dreadful nausea caused by the revelry of the night before, the writing most definitely being a pre-going-outside affair. Today is different. Today the drink is a cup of chai tea, I'm actually feeling relatively healthy and not near death, and I've spent most of the day in class, talking about my new educational album. Therefore, a break is needed from the loud and the raucous nature of the indie rock I normally crave, and a quieter, more soulful breed of musician takes centre stage. Enter Sophie Madeleine. I had first discovered this gem of a singer songwriter through the Bandcamp blog, as she was pegged as the first of their BCWax artists. Yes, you heard me right, true believers. Yes, it's another bedroom songstress with an acoustic guitar and a whimsical lyrical style. Yes, the album, LOVE. LIFE. UKULELE is consistently dreamy yet upbeat. And yes, floods of references to Katie Melua and Norah Jones are inherently expectable throughout.
Fortunately, however, only the first two preconceptions are correct. The fact is, and I am as loathe to admit it as can be expected, that I have no idea how this spectacular artist has remained under my usually keen indie-folk radar!
The album floats into being with “Takes Your Love With Me (The Ukulele Song)”, which provides the listener with a beautiful exposition of the album's laid back ethos. This loving story of a boy, a girl and a four-stringed instrument, with a few near-hyperbolic references to deserts and polar bears, also gives us a first glimpse of Sophie's terrific voice, which I've been describing in my head as a mix of Regina Spektor and St Vincent's Annie Clark. “I Just Can't Stop Myself (From Writing Love Songs About You)” shows off the album's obvious indie roots, and conjures up a strange paradoxical event, where the aforementioned Miss Clark seems to have written all the incidental music for The Gilmore Girls. One of the album's definite highlights, “The Knitting Song”, carries more of a classic pop, almost doo wop vibe, vocally performed like a softer spoken Eva Cassidy, while portraying a tremendous realist sentiment, even amongst the naïve, slightly cartoonish character of the song, that our lofi heroine needs “a little more than just a thought that I adore to keep me warm at night”.
Another of the album's seemingly infinite number of highlights is “You Are My Favourite”, whose infrequent modulations show off a Hal David-esque attitude to melody, and allowing the song to move between themes with seemless perfection. “When New Year Comes Around”, with it's glockenspiel tapped introduction lifted straight from “Auld Lang Syne”, paints Sophie as a British indie reincarnation of Ella Fitzgerald, with it's irresistable jazz hooks, flute improvisations and gorgeous chord progressions. The finale of the album proper, “Hurry Locomotive”, paints a beautiful, near impressionist image of a countryside train journey, with undertones of a deeper emotional journey. As they have throughout, Sophie's beautiful vocal harmony pads create a gorgeous texture on top of a canvas formed of a simple picked guitar pattern, layered under synth arpeggios and shakers.
Is it clear that I'm distraughtly in love with this album? Is it clear that, without this self-imposed word limit, that I could go on forever about Madeleine's beautifully naïve lyrical prose and dream-like arrangements? If not, then I'm clearly not doing a good enough job. If Sophie Madeleine still hasn't shown up on your radar, then let my lapse in recognition stand as a warning. Turn off your Tigermilk LP, dig out your slippers, stick the kettle on, and switch on to Sophie Madeleine.
LOVE. LIFE. UKULELE is available from Sophie's bandcamp page for download and as a special limited edition red pressed vinyl LP.
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