Broken Twin - May
- Written by Alex Wise
Broken Twin was off my own personal radar before this album was brought her to my attention, and it was a relief when I heard it; something clicked and began to work. These moments can happen when you listen to music, it can just catch you at right time and dramatise the mood you’re in, and May very much does that.
The album is simultaneously angelic and simplistic, and is coated with clever lyrics that create deep and admirable stories. Majke’s voice is one of those things that is just easy to appreciate. Her vocals are delicate and gentle; you feel that if you speak to loud while listening, her voice could shatter.
‘The Aching’ sets the scene for the entire album, with the celestial vocals coming to the forefront of the song, as it has this painful quality added to the core of it. This rolls throughout the album, with ‘Glimpse of Time’ and ‘Roam’ having these essences, however ‘Roam’ has more of an eerie quality. The use of the piano and vocals are executed well too. It suit Majke’s voice not to have much going on in the background, as her vocals are strong enough to carry a whole song. The storytelling qualities in ‘River Raining’ and ‘Sun Has Gone’ are rich, as an image is slowly painted with each word.
The subjects that Majke sings about in this album have this knack of making you feel alone yet safe. This quality is only found in talented singers that you really connect with, similar to someone like Morrissey; sometimes you can feel in sync with his lyrical themes.
‘Out of Air’ is potentially the highlight of the album, with everything coming to fruition as all the subtle ambient sounds contribute ideally to her angelic toned voice. However ‘If Pilots Go To Heaven’ makes a strong case for the albums best song too; Majke is completely stripped back and doused in reverb for the first half of the song, and again she demonstrates that her voice is strong enough to take on a song alone.
‘No Darkness’ is the song that gives you that overarching feeling of being alone yet safe, a feeling that everyone enjoys from time to time. It is a perfect ending to the album, concluding this collection of songs nicely. Majke leaves us with the desire to hear more of her vocals and lyrics, as her performance on this song could be considered the best of what’s on offer.
If you want to relax, this album should be a contender to be played. It has all of the essentials, and it really seems to grow on you as you adapt to the music on offer. It could be argued that the album is too similar with each song having similar layouts, but when it’s delivered so flawlessly, you simply have to ask who cares?
May is available to buy from amazon (here) and iTunes (here).