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New Single: Allyson Ezell - Landmines
Indie | Monday 24th November 2014 | gabriella
Allyson Ezell is described as being ‘non-linear’, almost pop. From her meandering upbringing to her expansive musical influences, there is something sprawling about the way she presents herself. Her new single Landmine is Allyson Ezell’s first foray into the world of pop music, and it is a formidable one. The soft, thunderous beats at the outset are instantly enthralling. From there, Ezell’s voice pulls you into the lyrics. Relatively straight forward, the song writing is simple and plays with the metaphor of being a landmine, burying bombs beneath her skin.
It’s a curious choice of metaphor for her first dabble into the music scene, but it works and places Ezell ahead of the pack as far as lyrics go. Sonically, the three-minute song is repetitive, but tows the line of being too tedious with tinkering notes two minutes through. The foundation throughout of the booming synthesiser adds to the ominous tone of the song; it sounds simultaneously like a warning and a lamentation.
Ezell is currently on tour throughout Europe. Her upcoming show will be at Le Motel in Paris, where she spent several years crafting her sound. Ezell writes of herself: “I'm a little bit tomboy, a little bit eccentric, a little bit artist, a little bit reckless. I do what I can to laugh and love my way through life. I try to respect what nature has given us and will never stop dreaming of a better world, a peaceful world” and lists her influences as Janis Joplin and Michael Jackson.
Once aware of those two influences, it’s easy to hear them in the song. While she doesn’t have the guttural, bluesy emotion that epitomised Joplin’s sound, she does her best to get there. With her own softer voice, she doesn’t manage to capture the same level of catharsis that one feels when listening to Janis, but builds a different kind of emotional truth. The Michael Jackson influence is perhaps clearer, with the vintage synthesiser that courses through the track.
Purportedly, jazz and prog rock are two contributing factors to her sound. Where they coming into play in Landmine is hard to tell. Regardless of that, it is undoubtedly a step in the right direction for the singer/songwriter whose EP, also titled ‘Landmine’, will be released in early 2015. For now, Landmine is free for streaming on soundcloud, and will be available for download on 15 December, a perfect way to whet the appetite for more to come.
Website: www.allysonezell.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/allysonezell777
Twitter: https://twitter.com/allyson_ezell
