Artist : Louise Burns
Album : Portraits
Year : 2019
Genre : Pop
Source : CDR
Label : Light Organ Records
Catalog : 2539611794
Rls.Date : 2019-12-01
Encoder : FLAC 1.3.1
Quality : 44.1kHz, 2 channels
Size : 358.5MB
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1. Like A Dream 4:09
2. Cry 4:49
3. Just Walk Away 5:27
4. Over You 4:27
5. Cherry 4:33
6. Cheers 3:33
7. Clowns 4:09
8. Everything You Got 5:27
9. Dream Of Life 6:05
10. Sky (Every Album Needs A Ballad) 5:09
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47:48
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When writing Portraits, Vancouver songwriter Louise Burns went back to where
it all began: Los Angeles, the same city where she got her big break two
decades earlier as the bassist of teen pop band Lillix. But while those early
years had been full of dizzying highs and crushing lows, she now had the
poise and self-assurance of a seasoned songwriter.
ôL.A. is a very specific place for me,ö she reflects. ôIt reminds me of some
really bittersweet memories ù some really happy ones and some really awful
ones. This record was about embracing my past rather than trying to hide it
or be self-deprecating. ItÆs okay for me to feel proud of having done all
this weird shit when I was really young.ö
Louise spent a wildly prolific month in Los Angeles in early 2018, working on
sparkling electronic pop songs with collaborators like Damian Taylor (Arcade
Fire, the Killers), Stint (Carly Rae Jepsen, Santigold) and Jasper Leak
(Sia). This was the first time Louise had worked with co-writers on her own
material, and it helped to unlock some of her most emotionally forthright
songs yet.
ôI normally donÆt like telling people how I feel,ö she admits. ôPop music
allows me to be vulnerable. IÆm hiding behind seemingly joyful, danceable
music, but IÆm getting away with saying something more substantial.ö Damian
Taylor acted as LouiseÆs co-producer and right-hand man, and he encouraged
her to get autobiographical with her lyrics.
Unlike her prior albums ù 2011Æs Mellow Drama, 2013Æs The Midnight Mass and
2017Æs Young Mopes ù which had been shrouded in reverb and gothic mystery,
Portraits is unflinchingly direct. The towering ôCryö sets lyrics about
emotional repression against a backdrop of towering hooks and shimmering new
wave guitars, while ôJust Walk Awayö is a bubbly blast of tropical pop. The
sighing dream pop anthem ôCheersö presents stark lyrics about growing up in
the music industry and the resulting eating disorder, and ôEverything You
Gotö splits the difference between pulsing dance grooves and heavy-lidded
soft rock.
The soaring melodies are instantly catchy, and the twinkling sophisti-pop
synth-scapes are the result of LouiseÆs burgeoning side-career as a producer.
Having built her own Amethyst Studios in her East Vancouver home, sheÆs been
co-writing and producing for other bands, and Portraits is the first time
sheÆs put those new skills to use in her own music.
After the initial sessions in Los Angeles, she went back home to Vancouver to
perfect her new material. She took a hands-on approach during every moment of
making the new record, acting as curator for a dream team of collaborators.
She got additional synths from Matt Robertson (Bj÷rk, ANOHNI), jazz sax from
Dominic Conway, guitars from Darcy Hancock (Ladyhawk) and Jason Corbett
(ACTORS), percussion from Pedro Dzelme (who also served as audio engineer),
and drum samples from David Prowse (Japandroids). Singers Hannah Georgas,
Alanna Finn-Morris (Fionn) and Jody Glenham contributed to some of the
backing harmonies.
This process was a culmination of everything Louise has experienced in her 20
years in the music industry ù both a celebration of her past and a bold step
into the future.
ôWhen I first came out as a solo artist, it wasnÆt really cool to be a pop
artist,ö she reflects. ôA lot of my indie rock peers were these really
serious people who thought it was silly. I should have said, ôI sold a
hundred thousand records before I was 18. What have you done?Æö