- Bring yourself as close to your speakers as physically and comfortably possible, because otherwise you’ll be in danger of missing a sound or small nuance whispere out by Sweet Whirl. With the last release from this project being a no-fi project of scuzzy, late night ramblings, Love Songs & Poetry continues this trajectory but cuts through the haze without reducing the tension of these sorghum molasses ballads. They’re as sweet as they are languid. The second project from Melbourne based artist Esther Edquist, Sweet Whirl, susurrates personal reflections of past relationships through sparsely arranged songs. With a focus on meditative compositions and a vocal delivery like someone sleepily dictating their thoughts immediately after waking, the deviations from the set path swell into major acts of defiance.
A full line is breathed in its entirety before any other sounds other than barely there vocals appear on the opening track Girlfriend; a bittersweet rumination on not being able to fulfill the emotional investment your significant other deserves. The string swells as the song glides to an end not only show a vast improvement in the production quality but in conjunction with waning vocals, create a magnetic intimacy. You could easily be forgiven for starting to drift off with such soft music and performances. Even with percussion and a greater vocal presence on Strange News it continues the same droning and intriguing style as its predecessor. Pairing this intrigue with an emotional potency, the listener is glued firmly to their seat in anticipation.
Channelling small doses of Sarah Mary Chadwick on Ray C, alcohol assisted longings offer the catchiest chorus. Esther’s drawling vocals swim through watery lead melodies and supple snare work, to give the strongest backbone so far. Small playing faults plague Put Into Words. While these do add to the overarching, stripped back and raw feeling of the release, it does come across as slightly careless. The jam section here redeems a shaky beginning and slides effortlessly into the strongly closing Rubber Heart. Sweet Whirl flavours this song with a comparatively driving country music influence that reminds me of Nikki Lane. Turns of phrase employing differing road synonyms map out the journey, which comes to terms with nostalgia and its power to contort lanes into boulevards, more grand than they deserve to be. Again, strings close out this song and indeed the EP as they do on the opener; it's a measure of cohesion on what is a rather loosely assembled set of songs.
Admittedly, it did take me a handful of listens through this record to latch on to its appeal. It's not something that will immediately strike you as a crucial listen: it requires a small germination period before it reveals the inherent beauty of what’s presented here. Working with skeletal instruments and bare compositions, the anxiety and anticipation drummed up throughout Love Songs & Poetry operates in the same vein as Lake Michigan. The topics raised here are as fragile and gentle as the music itself, sit down with it and a bottle of whatever so suits your mood and you’ll be entranced.
- Matt Lynch.