More Portland singer-songwriter stuff here. Anne Adams is/was in Per Se, a much better use of her time, not that this is bad. It’s just that the power of an all-girl band is exponentially better than a solo artist. It would take eight Grey Annes to equal one Per Se. The style is definitely better than farmers market stuff. It sounds like a lot of piNoisepop bands, although her heritage is unknown (and irrelevant) to me. Maybe if the lead singer of Moonpools and Caterpillars did some work on the side? Sure.
“Adelaide” reminds me of something Willow Willow would do. But the keyboard work — or is it her singing? — is distinctly Portland. This is the kind of stuff I would listen to all day if people stopped making new music for me to review.
“Riddle” is a bit peppier and has accordion in it. By this point it is pretty clear that Adams has figured out what works for her in terms of success, so there should be no cause for alarm when the songs start to run together. This is not an album to listen to from beginning to end. Instead, mix it with a few other albums (compare and contrast to taste) and stick it on random or shuffle or whatever it is you kids like these days.
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Hey, Joel.
Anne here, proving she is small-time enough to read her own reviews. I think that’s good in this case, ’cause it allows me to answer a couple implicit questions you posed.
First, I should say that in the case of this album, Grey Anne = Per Se. The people who played in Per Se, played on this record, and these are the songs Per Se played, roughly the same way Per Se played them. So, if you’d prefer to think of it as three girls, please do. I cherish the time when those girls were available to participate. Per Se as a band didn’t make any other recordings. I made a few under the same moniker prior to taking on bandmates. About 30 people who lived in Portland, or went to What-The-Heckfest in Anacortes in 2003 would have those demo CD’s. I don’t even think I have them anymore. But “Adelaide” was on them.
Your review is the first one that punishes me a little for being slow to publish. You are right, at this point, it is “more Portland singer-songwriter stuff.” But I was here making this stuff before the Portland Singer-Songwriter was QUITE so much of a cliche. I know you stated that my heritage is irrelevant, and I agree, but I can’t tell you about the record without giving a little context and history. Because as far as I’m concerned, this record is history. Most musicians feel that way by the time they’re done making a record, and I do especially, ’cause I fiddled with this record for more than four years.
Adelaide doesn’t have keyboards. The sections that sound like keys are actually four tracks of my vocals, sung in real time, meant to slightly overlap and make one melody. (I got inspired by the opening vocal sequence of “Mr. Sandman, Bring Me A Dream.”) Glad you like it. Yay!
Next album promises to be peppier overall. Some of the peppy Per Se tracks ended up on the cutting room floor here, in the interest of time and cohesion. But a live Grey Anne show is reasonably lively, with lots of looped vox effects, a hand drum, and some sight gags and hopping around.
Thanks for your time, and for your honest assessment of my music.
Best regards,
{Grey} Anne