Jennifer Walton's First Album "Daughters" Delves Into Sorrow and Style
Within this track "Miss America", listeners are placed in a hotel room close to JFK airfield, as the musician learns a devastating update of her father's illness discovery. This Sunderland-born artist was touring America for the first time, playing alongside group Kero Kero Bonito, when abruptly sadness takes over, coloring all in grey. Faltering keys and hushed orchestration underscore gothic dispatches from the tour van: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."
Walton's soft singing come across in a flat manner, yet this record's intensity stems from the keen penmanship—mixing stories, traditional phrases, and direct personal notes—along with unexpected rich textures. Not many tracks this year showcase stronger storytelling style than "Shelly", a piece that describes the death of an animal and descends toward a fuel-soaked reckoning, reminiscent of literary works lit by glimpses of warped cello. Anxious, quiet verses with echoing, strummed strings move to grand refrains, with Walton's voice electronically altered to become a presence omniscient and menacing.
Listeners might already know Walton from her work as a music creator, DJ, and contributor in groups such as Caroline. Daughters' sonic turns reflect her varied background. The first track "Sometimes" erupts in flourish, as if a string band taken by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" drastically ups the BPM via a punishing, beautiful, looping drum fill. Thick walls of sound, skillfully produced with a longtime partner, seem at once gnarly and ethereal, while Walton's dark, magical thinking culminate on highlight "Lambs", which briefly transforms into a swirling jig. "May your life never end in death," Walton bargains, exuding poignant dark comedy.
