Annelies Monseré - I Sigh, I Resign

Barely a heartbeat on from the release of her last LP, Annelies Monseré is back on Horn of Plenty with another collection of distinct European chamber song. Fans of 2023's Mares will identify clear through-lines from that album to this, though interestingly these recordings span a seven year period from 2016 to the present, suggesting the deliberate cultivation of a unique voice rather than the continuation of a theme. Monseré's intimate form of song craft remains instantly affecting, at once both embracing tradition (note the cover of Jean Ritchie’s Appalachian ballad 'One I Love') and reshaping old ideas into new forms. And so on the one hand, there's the aforementioned 'One I Love' in which she warmly duets with her 10 year old son in a manner than almost feels timeless in its expression of the eternal mother-child bond within the ballad form and on the other, by contrast, there's the minimal wave drone chamber folk of 'Salt', which dares you to imagine a Trish Keenan or Carla dal Forno singing the worksong of an 18th century Dutch salt mine (make note: idea for new festival concept). The close mic-d recording lends an ominous throb to proceedings, imbuing a sense of the nocturnal, the private, the secret, which purposefully or not, offers a fitting reflection of lyrics that address hidden female histories and persistent patriarchal power structures. Mostly, though, this is powerful, elemental composition at odds with its title - there is no resignation on show here, Monsere' again showing herself to be a forceful voice with a rare singular vision.