Olenka and the Autumn Lovers "And Now We Sing" Album Review

Olenka and the Autumn Lovers are one of Canada's least audacious but most stellar indie-folk acts. Equipped with a growing arsenal of sonorous melodies you might expect them to come off as a bit ostentatious. But there's something uncanny yet authentic or down-to-earth about their performances. Olenka Krakus herself, the band's leader, is remarkably graceful on stage. That's why I've been waiting for a recording of Olenka and the Autumn Lovers' music that captures this sense of authenticity. Having listened extensively to their latest full-length, And Now We Sing, I can tell you that it does effectively translate the sincerity of the band's live performances.

Production 

It's not easy to pull off recordings of delicate musical arraignments but this is where And Now We Sing often is at its most compelling. Of course, the production does pull off the bands brief flirtation with post-rock on the track No Coins, and Odessa's layered use of backup vocals definitely begins the album with class. But I more often than not found myself re-listening to the gentler tracks like Mama's Bag and Motel Blues. I'm now convinced that the attraction I have toward the quieter side of the album is due to how well the nuances of Olenka's voice are captured and bolstered on these recordings.

For instance, in Sweet Little Road Olenka's breathy vocals are superbly enhanced by just the right amount of guitar feedback and drone. In Mama's Bag, the brushes on the drums, the twang in the guitar, along with the elegant string section, again, really accentuate Olenka's voice. I guess I felt like there was better experimentation with instrumentation and more space to allow for Olenka's vocals to shine on these tracks. Olenka's presence is arguably so good that the instruments on the other recordings like Clean, Sparrow and No Coins (prior to the climax) seem to compete with her voice a little much almost to the point where one or the other sounds are almost muffled. For instance, only after the track No Coins reaches 2:15 does Olenka lift her voice high enough to break through what seems like a lack of depth in the recording. I guess maybe it's the Leonard Cohen fan in me coming out, or maybe just how well the arrangements in Lark complement Olenka's voice, but colour me more impressed with the softer songs of the album.

A few ways that the album does excel at finding a common ground on the more rock-sounding tracks is through the aforementioned use of vocal layering as well as the introduction of horns. Tracks like Odessa, Shame and East End are probably the best examples of this. Olenka's voice has such dynamic range that she can pull off lows, highs, whispers and yells with quivering intensity. Coupled with the clever arrangements and classic transitions in Shame and the band just sounds epic.

Packaging

Aside from the production, the packaging of the disc is pretty decent. The illustration on the disc is simple but expressive and resonates with the whole lower-class vibe of the album. 

Lyrics

The lyrical content to the album is partly where the album has weight. Littered with stories and references to life on the cheap, the songs are consistent in theme and compelling to say the least. Much like a blues singer Olenka seems to be interested in expressing the life of the disenchanted or those simply working hard to make ends meet. I love how Olenka cleverly places a metaphor or two to help illustrate her stories. In Mama's Bag she anthropomorphize's the Salvation Army as "Sally Ann" - mama's friend. This is where the authenticity of Olenka's presence can hit you over the head. Her voice is so emotional that she really does seem to care about the characters in her songs. They have a real sense of place. They seem to exist somewhere. I often find that this is the toughest challenge for a songwriter but Olenka seems to be able to sculpt with her words.

Overall

As a package, And Now We Sing is cohesive and the best representation of Olenka and the Autumn Lovers' music on disc. I'm giving And Now We Sing a 4/5. For fans of the group, or indie-folk music fans, this is a no brainer. Just go out and buy it. For others I'd still highly recommend the disc. The lyrics just might pierce your socio-economic barrier, or the music could entice you to see one of their concerts - which are definitely enchanting. If that isn't enough to entice you to buy the disc, the album has been in the top ten of virtually every major Canadian college radio station over the last month; it reached #17 on CBC Radio 3's Top 30 this week, and the band was just nominated for best vocals for the track Odessa by the 5th Annual CBC Radio 3 Bucky Awards.